Women who care: perceptions of cardiovascular death among argentine female health professionals
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63600/8r659983Keywords:
Health perception, Self-care, Women, Health professionals, Cardiovascular diseaseAbstract
Introduction: cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women worldwide. However, awareness of this condition, even within the healthcare sector itself, appears to be insufficient. The main objective of this study was to identify the perception of cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death among female healthcare professionals. Methods: descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted between 2020 and 2021. Argentine female health care professionals with access to electronic devices and the internet were included. Results: the final sample consisted of 1,089 surveys. The mean age was 43.1±10.8 years, and the mean time since graduation was 16.2±10.7 years. A total of 58.7% were involved in teaching activities, and 1.2% were retired. Cardiovascular disease was not identified as the leading cause of death in women by 62.5% of participants. Only 25.9% had primary care physicians. Moreover, 59.3% reported not having undergone a clinical check-up in the previous year, and 59.9% indicated seeking informal consultations with colleagues to address health concerns. Blood pressure measurement was reported in 18.6% of gynecological visits and 62.7% of clinical check-ups. Conclusions: six out of ten health care professionals did not recognize cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of death among women. Self-care practice was low. Blood pressure measurement during medical check-ups was infrequently reported.
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