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| Author | Rebecca Felice |
| Abstract | According to the American Heart Association (2004), Coronary Heart Disease is the leading cause of death in women. Despite this, a large number of research studies regarding CHD focused specifically on men and reflected the fact that CHD developed later in women than in men (King & Paul, 1996). The paucity of research addressing CHD and women served as in incentive for conducting this small-scale study. The CHD risks and their risk-reducing behaviours were reviewed in the literature. Although the studies found were not addressed directly for nurses' role, the findings had significant implications for their clinical practice. An exploratory non-experimental study was carried out at the Coronary Care Unit where ten women voluntarily participated in this study. Data was collected through a face-to-face structured interview. The data was analysed and the findings portrayed women's understandings of CHD, their personal risks and risk-reducing behaviours. The findings depicted the interpretation that women suffering from CHD ascribed to their illness, in terms of the responses after symptoms felt and the responses after seeking medical advice. Moreover, the findings indicated that the women in this study had limited awareness of their personal risk factors. Furthermore, the findings identified the risk-reducing behaviours women pursued and the behaviours women renounced. In addition, women most commonly cited healthcare professionals as the primary source of information for heart disease. In conclusion, recommendations, in light of the findings were drawn up, so as to provide additional groundwork for nursing interventions aimed specifically for women suffering from CHD. |
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| Key words | Women, Perception, Coronary Heart Disease, Risk, Behaviour, Thesis, Nursing |