Knowledge, experience, perceptions and beliefs of women with cardiovascular disease in Northwestern Ontario

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the primary killer of men and women. Mortality rates in Northwestern Ontario (NWO) continue to be higher than the provincial average. Current trends suggest that cardiac-related deaths for women in Canada will increase by 28% between 1995 and 2016, whereas deaths for men will slightly decline. The effects of CVD in women within a gender context have been understudied. There is a need to understand women’s lived experience with CVD to help determine more effective health promoting strategies for women. A qualitative and quantitative descriptive and exploratory study was designed to examine women’s lived experiences with CVD. A structured gender health questionnaire was developed as part of the study. Taped-interviews were conducted with 30 women (15 rural, 15 urban) with established heart disease living in NWO. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed from transcripts. Through the process of sharing their experiences, the women articulated how the disease impacted their life, what lifestyle adaptations they have made, and what psychological and psychosocial interventions have been or would be beneficial to them. Heart disease appears to have a lasting negative influence on how a woman rates her health in relation to others in her age group.