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Blacks,
Hispanics less aware of when to call 911 for
Heart Attack signs
Newswise — Every year, an estimated 700,000
Americans have a first heart attack, with
another 500,000 suffering a recurrent
attack.
About 40 percent of these people die as a
result. However, many of these individuals
might live if heart attack victims and
bystanders recognize symptoms and call 911,
said lead author Henraya McGruder, Ph.D., an
epidemiologist at the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC).
In a survey of 33,059 adults, most ages 25
to 64, McGruder and co-authors found that
while knowledge of heart attack symptoms is
poor within the general population, it is
especially poor among African-Americans and
Hispanics yet heart attacks are more
prevalent among these populations than among
whites.
“Our research highlights the importance of
targeting these groups with education, so
they understand the signs of heart attack
and know what to do,” she said.
“The
key to survival is knowledge and awareness
of symptoms, because lifesaving treatments
must be given within a certain time
window.”
The study appears in the spring issue of the
journal Ethnicity and
Disease, the journal of the
International Society on Hypertension in
Blacks.
McGruder and CDC colleagues looked at data
from the 2001 National Health Interview
Survey, in which participants indicated
their awareness of heart attack symptoms and
the need to call 911 to get help fast.
Respondents indicated their ability to
recognize the following five signs of
cardiac distress: (1) chest pain or
discomfort; (2) pain or discomfort in the
jaw, neck or back; (3) pain or discomfort in
arms and shoulders; (4) feeling weak,
lightheaded, or faint; and (5) shortness of
breath.
“Knowing the signs and symptoms — and
knowing to call 911 — will decrease death
and disability associated with heart
attack,” McGruder said, noting also the
importance of traveling to the hospital by
ambulance.
“Research suggests that patients arriving by
ambulance received quicker care and a
shorter time to treatment, compared to those
who arrived via personal transportation,”
she said.
“This paper certainly adds ammunition to the
argument that we need to build more
culturally appropriate public information
health campaigns,” said Brian Smedley,
Ph.D., research director and co-founder of
The Opportunity Agenda.
“This paper does an important service in
pointing to the need for patient education,”
Smedley said.
“If we want to reduce the disproportionate
burden of heart attack in communities of
people of color, however, there are
fundamental, structural issues we need to
address.
"We
also need sound public policies that can
help to ensure that everyone has appropriate
access to health care resources.”
One problem, Smedley said, is that many
hospitals have closed in minority
neighborhoods.
Even with increased awareness of the
symptoms of heart attack and knowing to call
911, minorities could still face longer
travel times to get to an emergency room.
Ethnicity & Disease is a quarterly medical
journal studying the ethnic patterns of
disease. For more information, contact
ethndis@ishib.org or visit
http://www.ishib.org/ED_index.asp
McGruder HF, et al. Racial and ethnic
disparities associated with knowledge of
symptoms of heart attack and use of 911:
National Health Interview Survey, 2001. Ethn
Dis 18(2), 2008.
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