Table 1
Demographics and clinical characteristics of study participants.
| Characteristic | N = 723 |
|---|---|
| Age, years (mean ± SD) | 51 ± 9 |
| Age group, % | |
| 35–44 years | 26.0 |
| 45–54 years | 38.6 |
| 55–70 years | 35.4 |
| Education level, % | |
| Low (primary school or less; 0–8 years) | 28.3 |
| Middle (complete or incomplete secondary education; 9–12 years) | 54.1 |
| High (complete or incomplete university or technical studies; >12 years) | 17.6 |
| Socioeconomic level, % | |
| Low | 36.5 |
| Medium low | 34.6 |
| Medium high | 28.9 |
| Marital status, % | |
| Married or living together | 68.4 |
| Separated or divorced | 14.3 |
| Single | 11.9 |
| Widowed | 5.0 |
| Number of children, % | |
| none | 4.0 |
| 1–2 | 45.1 |
| >2 | 50.9 |
| Type of health insurance, % | |
| Public | 79.6 |
| Private | 17.4 |
| Armed forces | 2.1 |
| Other/Don’t know | 0.9 |
| Employment status, % | |
| Employed (full- or part-time) | 55.4 |
| Student | 0.7 |
| Retired | 2.7 |
| Homemaker | 41.1 |
| Self-reported personal medical history, % | |
| Hypertension | 37.8 |
| Diabetes | 15.6 |
| High cholesterol | 60.4 |
| Current smoking | 36.9 |
| Overweight or Obesity | 77.1 |
| CVD family history | 26.4 |
| Prevalence based on GPAQ and PHQ-9 questionnaires % | |
| Leisure-time sedentarism | 89.0 |
| Depressive symptoms (mild to moderate)* | 19.4 |
| Depressive symptoms (severe)* | 3.7 |
[i] Data are mean ± SD except where indicated.
* Depression was defined by the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [ PHQ-9 ] score. Mild-to-moderate depressive symptoms was defined as a PHQ-9 score of 10 to 19 points and major depression as a score of ≥20 points.
GPAQ, Global Physical Activity Questionnaire; PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire-9; SD, standard deviation.
Figure 1
Distribution of participants’ responses about the main health problem for women.
This question was a ‘one-size-fits-all,’ meaning the interviewer asked the participant to select the most important answer if she mentioned more than one. The survey had a drop-down list of potential answers, and only one could be selected. The potential answers were not read to the participant, and the interviewer had to classify the spontaneous answer within the available choices. * Cancer includes all malignancies except those in the breast and lung.
AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Table 2
Awareness of greatest health problem facing women and leading cause of death among women by age and education level.
| Response (%) | Age Group in years | p | Education level | p | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 35–44 (n: 187) | 45–54 (n: 279) | 55–70 (n: 256) | Low (n: 205) | Middle (n: 391) | High (n:127) | |||
| Greatest Health Problem | ||||||||
| Breast Cancer | 18.6 | 26.7 | 21.6 | NS | 22.2 | 26.5 | 14.7 | <0.01 |
| Cancer (general) | 18.7 | 19.4 | 14.1 | NS | 16.0 | 20.2 | 12.0 | 0.05 |
| Heart disease/attack | 9.1 | 8.5 | 10.2 | NS | 12.7 | 8.4 | 7.4 | NS |
| Stroke | 0.4 | 1.3 | 1.6 | NS | 0.7 | 1.2 | 1.5 | NS |
| Diabetes | 12.8 | 15.4 | 21.0 | 0.05 | 23.2 | 14.6 | 14.3 | 0.03 |
| Obesity | 13.7 | 11.0 | 7.2 | 0.07 | 3.1 | 10.5 | 18.1 | <0.0001 |
| Other | 31.7 | 21.4 | 27.2 | 0.04 | 24.9 | 22.7 | 35.9 | <0.01 |
| Do not know | 3.0 | 3.5 | 3.0 | NS | 5.4 | 2.8 | 1.4 | 0.10 |
| Leading Cause of Death | ||||||||
| Breast Cancer | 43.6 | 36.4 | 36.7 | NS | 36.7 | 38.1 | 41.2 | NS |
| Cancer (general) | 30.9 | 45.6 | 32.1 | <0.001 | 39.1 | 40.3 | 26.5 | <0.01 |
| Heart disease/attack | 9.7 | 9.4 | 24.2 | <0.0001 | 16.4 | 11.7 | 20.2 | 0.03 |
| Stroke | 3.5 | 2.6 | 3.3 | NS | 2.3 | 2.3 | 5.7 | NS |
| Diabetes | 2.0 | 2.0 | 3.1 | NS | 2.5 | 2.2 | 2.8 | NS |
| Obesity | 1.0 | 0.2 | 0.8 | NS | 0.2 | 0.9 | 0.4 | NS |
| Other | 11.7 | 9.0 | 4.4 | 0.01 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 10.6 | NS |
| Do not know | 8.8 | 5.4 | 1.5 | <0.001 | 2.4 | 5.4 | 6.7 | NS |
Figure 2
Perception of stress/depression, breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease as the main health problem for women, by education level. Participants were asked for the years of formal education and the highest qualification received. Three education levels were defined: low (primary school or less; 0–8 years), middle (complete or incomplete secondary education; 9–12 years), and high (complete or incomplete university or technical studies; >12 years).
* p < 0.01 high vs middle and low education levels.
† p < 0.01 middle vs high education level.
Figure 3
Distribution of participants’ responses about leading cause of death in women.
This question was a ‘one-size-fits-all,’ meaning the interviewer asked the participant to select the most important answer if she mentioned more than one. The survey had a drop-down list of potential answers, and only one could be selected. The potential answers were not read to the participant, and the interviewer had to classify the spontaneous answer within the available choices. * Cancer includes all malignancies except those in the breast and lung.
AIDS, acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Table 3
Awareness of cardiovascular disease as leading cause of death in women by socioeconomic level, income, employment status and age (≥ 55 years or younger).
| O.R. | 95% C.I. | Pa | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lower | Upper | |||
| Socioeconomic levelb | ||||
| Low | 1.00 | |||
| Middle | 1.33 | 0.72 | 2.46 | NS |
| High | 1.28 | 0.71 | 2.28 | NS |
| Incomec | ||||
| Under $210.000 | 1.00 | |||
| $ 210.001–$ 290.000 | 1.91 | 0.78 | 4.70 | NS |
| $ 290.001–$ 380.000 | 0.72 | 0.26 | 1.98 | NS |
| $ 380.001–$ 470.000 | 2.49 | 0.93 | 6.66 | 0.07 |
| $ 470.001–$ 580.000 | 3.35 | 1.15 | 9.75 | 0.03 |
| $ 580.001–$ 700.000 | 1.87 | 0.52 | 6.68 | NS |
| $ 700.001–$ 880.000 | 0.63 | 0.13 | 2.99 | NS |
| $ 880.001–$1.170.000 | 1.17 | 0.34 | 4.03 | NS |
| $1.170.001-$1.800.000 | 12.19 | 3.44 | 43.20 | <0.001 |
| NR | 4.44 | 1.76 | 11.19 | <0.01 |
| Employmentd | ||||
| Employed | 1.00 | |||
| Unemployed | 1.77 | 1.09 | 2.85 | 0.02 |
| Age | ||||
| 35–54 y | 1.00 | |||
| 55–70 y | 2.92 | 1.85 | 4.59 | <0.0001 |
[i] a Logistic regression.
b Likelihood ratio test p NS.
c Likelihood ratio test p < 0.0001.
d Likelihood ratio test p < 0.01.
Figure 4
Distribution of participants’ responses about knowledge of heart disease (A) and stroke (B) in women.
Figure 5
Perceived leading cause of death vs actual mortality data from national statistics in Chile (2016). Data from national statistics are derived from National Institute of Statistics (INE): mortality in women ≥35 years by all causes [12]. Survey respondents are the 723 women who participated in the current study. * All cancer includes all malignancies except those in the breast and lung.