African-American Women's Perceived Risk for Cardiovascular Disease versus Framingham Risk

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death among African-American women in the United States. Accurate CVD risk perception may motivate these women to participate in health-promoting behaviors; however, perceived risk may not align with objective CVD risk. Our objective was to examine CVD risk perception, risk factors, and objective estimated risk (based on Framingham scores). This was a secondary data analysis of data collected from a 12-month lifestyle PA intervention conducted with 281 African-American women. Subjective perceived CVD risk was measured with two questions; CVD risks were examined via health assessment and self-questionnaire; and objective estimated CVD risk was calculated using the Framingham Risk score. Despite having several objective risk factors for CVD development, most participants perceived their CVD risk as low, and their Framingham scores were low. The Framingham Risk score may not be the best predictor of CVD risk for African-American women.

Keywords: African American Women; Framingham Risk; Heart disease; Risk perception.