Prevention & lipidsCross-sectional study
Discordance Between Perceived Risk and Cardiovascular Health in Women of Reproductive Age
- Cross-sectional study
Authors' conclusion
CVD and stroke risk underestimation is prevalent among women of reproductive age with marked racial and social disparities. Targeted, culturally sensitive risk communication strategies are needed to improve CVD and stroke risk perception accuracy.
Study context
- Population
- Women aged 18 to 50 years in the Baltimore/Washington DC areawomen (mean age 32.01 years)
- Participants
- 139 women
- Exposure
- Discordance was defined by cross-classifying perceived risk relative to peers with LE8-defined cardiovascular health status
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Underestimation of CVD and stroke risk
Underestimated cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk
56.8%
Underestimated stroke risk
58.3%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Predictors of CVD risk underestimation
| Comparison | OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| racial/ethnic minority status · multivariable model | 3.70 (1.58–8.68) | |
| medium polysocial risk · multivariable model | 2.72 (1.02–7.24) | |
| Low cardiovascular health literacy · multivariable model | 5.91 (1.05–33.31) | |
| older reproductive age (≥32 years) · multivariable model | 2.26 (1.02–5.00) | |
| 0.050.21520Odds ratio (log scale) |
Predictors of stroke risk underestimation
| Comparison | OR (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| racial/ethnic minority status · multivariable model | 3.29 (1.44–7.51) | |
| medium polysocial risk · multivariable model | 2.70 (1.04–7.02) | |
| 0.10.31310Odds ratio (log scale) |
Original publication
Discordance Between Perceived Risk and Cardiovascular Health in Women of Reproductive Age. JACC Adv. Published 19 June 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jacadv.2026.102862
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it