Sex differences in cardiovascular disease knowledge, risk perception, and preventive care prior to first myocardial infarction.

AIMS: This study aimed to investigate sex differences in cardiovascular disease knowledge, risk perception, and preventive care prior to first myocardial infarction (MI).

METHODS

The study adopted a cross-sectional design. Using a web-based solution, 1628 Norwegian individuals who experienced a first-ever MI in 2024, mean (SD) age 64.1 (10.0) years, of which 25.4% women, completed the Norwegian ABCD Risk Questionnaire along with a de novo questionnaire. Sex differences were tested using linear regression for total scale scores, logistic regression for binary variables, and ordinal logistic regression for categorical variables.

RESULTS

On the ABCD Risk Questionnaire, women scored lower than men on risk perception (B = -0.50, 95% CI = -0.87 to -0.13) and higher on healthy eating attitude (B = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.34 to 1.02). On the de novo questionnaire, MI knowledge was low in both women and men, but women could identify significantly more MI risk factors (B = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.02 to 1.01) and symptoms (B = 1.20, 95% CI = 0.88 to 1.51) than men. Women were less likely than men to report previous MI risk assessment, including smoking status (OR = 0.54, 95% CI = 0.41 to 0.71). Women were also less likely than men to report receipt of lifestyle advice to prevent MI (OR = 2.29, 95% CI = 1.71 to 3.06).

CONCLUSION

Cardiovascular knowledge and risk perception were poor among Norwegian individuals prior to MI, with indication that women had better knowledge but poorer risk perception than men. Substantial gaps in self-reported preventive care were identified, particularly among women. Sex-specific strategies are spoken for to improve cardiovascular awareness at both individual and clinical level.