Table 2.
US Women’s Awareness of the Warning Signs and Symptoms of a Heart Attack: 2009 and 2019
| Race/Ethnicity | Age, y | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | NH White | NH Black | Hispanic | NH Asian | 25–34 | 35–44 | 45–64 | ≥65 | ||||||||||
| 2009 | 2019 | 2009 | 2019 | 2009 | 2019 | 2009 | 2019 | 2009 | 2019 | 2009 | 2019 | 2009 | 2019 | 2009 | 2019 | 2009 | 2019 | |
| n | 1158 | 1345 | 634 | 660 | 127 | 209 | 251 | 216 | 125 | 201 | 205 | 278 | 305 | 284 | 455 | 525 | 193 | 258 |
| Warning signs, %* | ||||||||||||||||||
| Chest pain | 52.4 | 51.5† | 53.5 | 57.3 | 52.2 | 39.2 | 46.3 | 40.7 | 50.6 | 37.2 | 60.7 | 42.0 | 50.3 | 43.9 | 51.7 | 54.8 | 49.8 | 59.8† |
| Pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck, or arms | 44.8 | 38.3 | 48.6 | 46.0 | 33.4 | 33.3 | 39.0 | 24.1 | 29.2 | 15.9 | 38.3 | 25.6 | 40.3 | 29.4† | 45.7 | 40.7 | 52.8 | 51.9† |
| Shortness of breath | 34.4 | 27.9 | 34.0 | 30.1 | 35.0 | 24.6 | 34.2 | 24.8 | 38.7 | 26.8 | 42.5 | 27.4 | 25.1 | 24.5 | 37.2 | 24.1† | 33.3 | 36.8† |
| Numbness | 20.9 | 13.1† | 19.9 | 12.8† | 27.3 | 8.6† | 20.4 | 18.0 | 18.8 | 8.9 | 28.8 | 13.8 | 27.9 | 13.0† | 19.4 | 16.2 | 10.4 | 7.7 |
| Nausea | 9.7 | 9.3 | 11.7 | 10.2 | 0.5 | 8.3† | 7.6 | 7.1 | 4.8 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 1.7 | 5.9 | 6.1 | 11.5 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 12.5 |
| Pain in jaw | 13.2 | 8.2† | 15.3 | 11.0† | 5.9 | 3.1 | 12.2 | 2.5† | 5.3 | 3.5 | 6.3 | 3.5 | 9.3 | 2.7† | 15.3 | 11.0 | 18.6 | 11.8 |
| Heaviness/pressure on the chest | NA | 7.9 | NA | 9.7 | NA | 5.5 | NA | 4.3 | NA | 5.5 | NA | 1.8 | NA | 5.2 | NA | 8.2 | NA | 14.5 |
| Sweating | 9.9 | 6.8 | 10.6 | 6.8† | 8.8 | 10.2 | 8.1 | 5.2 | 5.9 | 6.2 | 8.1 | 1.7† | 3.8 | 4.5 | 13.5 | 9.2 | 11.0 | 9.2 |
| Fatigue | 10.1 | 6.6 | 10.8 | 7.8 | 9.9 | 4.7 | 8.4 | 3.7 | 3.8 | 7.8 | 4.3 | 5.3 | 5.7 | 4.9 | 14.1 | 5.5† | 11.6 | 10.7 |
| Back pain | 10.6 | 6.1† | 13.3 | 7.3† | 3.2 | 4.0 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 7.1 | 3.0 | 4.5 | 3.0 | 5.3 | 3.8 | 12.5 | 10.3 | 17.6 | 4.2† |
| Tightness of the chest | 17.1 | 5.7† | 17.8 | 6.1† | 18.2 | 6.3† | 15.3 | 4.0† | 11.2 | 3.3 | 16.1 | 6.0 | 16.8 | 6.4† | 18.7 | 6.0† | 15.1 | 4.3† |
| Dizziness | 11.0 | 5.6† | 10.7 | 5.4† | 7.9 | 6.8 | 16.5 | 3.8† | 13.0 | 9.3 | 13.2 | 3.5† | 12.1 | 5.2† | 12.6 | 4.9† | 5.3 | 8.7† |
| Indigestion | 7.0 | 2.7† | 8.0 | 3.5† | 3.5 | 1.3 | 5.4 | 1.2 | 1.0 | 1.3 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 3.7 | 1.1† | 11.0 | 3.1† | 7.8 | 4.8 |
Data were weighted by age, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, household income, and region to reflect the composition of the US population of women ≥25 years of age who speak English according to distributions reported in the US Census Bureau’s March 2018 Current Population Survey.11 NA indicates not available; and NH, non-Hispanic.
Other responses at <5% overall in both years: pain/unease discomfort (unspecified), tingling sensation, headache, increased heart rate/palpitation, pain on left side of body, heartburn, fainting, feeling unwell, stomach pain, vomiting, anxiety, heartache, high blood pressure, slurred speech, cold sweat, blurred vision, irregular heart rate, tightness of the body, mental disorientation, high cholesterol, clamminess, toothache, overweight/obesity, pasty complexion, slow heart rate, none, do not know, and refused.
Significantly different from values of 2009, P<0.05.