A systematic review of the effectiveness of primary health education or intervention programs in improving rural women's knowledge of heart disease risk factors and changing lifestyle behaviours.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death and disability for women in Australia. Women living in rural areas are at greater risk of heart disease, because of limited access and availability of healthcare in rural areas. Lifestyle is a major determinant to the risk of heart disease. Risk factors such as smoking, hypertension, diet, physical activity and alcohol intake can be controlled or modified by lifestyle changes. As heart disease develops over many years, women need to be following healthy lifestyle practices and reduce their chance of a first or recurrent heart attack.