38 percent of women compared with 25 percent of men will die within one year after a heart attack. Misperceptions still exist that CVD is not a real problem for women. A June 1997 survey of over 1,000 women conducted by Yankelovich Partners, Inc. revealed the lack of understanding women have of the dangers of heart disease and stroke. According to the results, a mere 8 percent of women in America believe that heart disease and stroke are the greatest health threat to women. This reveals the lack of knowledge and understanding a majority of women have for their most serious health threat.
Women also lack awareness of heart attack warning signals .
The lack of awareness of stroke warning signs is equally alarming. Barely a third of the participants could name sudden weakness or numbness of the face or limb on one side as a signal. Even fewer could name other signs. Another disturbing fact is that only 1 percent of women surveyed named both low levels of estrogen and menopause as major contributors to heart disease. In addition, only half of those surveyed knew that women after menopause are more likely to have heart attacks than men.