ABSTRACT BACKGROUND:

Most women perceive oncological disease as their principal cause of death. However, it has been shown that cardiovascular disease (CVD) is currently the leading cause of mortality in women in developed countries.

Aim:

to evaluate how this perception has changed in relation to health education campaigns present in Chile during the study period.

Method:

A survey was performed in 2007 (n= 409) and repeated in 2016 (n=431), including women working at a health institution, divided in 2 groups: professionals with a university degree (U) or health administrative and technical workers (W). The overall perception of CVD as a cause of death increased from 20% in 2007 to 37% in 2016 (p<0.01). The increase in the % of women perceiving CVD as main cause of death was greater in W women (14% to 34%, p<0.01) than in U women (39% to 44%, NS). Oncological diseases, mainly breast cancer, continued to be perceived as the main mortality cause in both groups of women in 2016.

Conclusion:

Although significant, the increase in % of women naming CVD as the main cause of death at a health institution was relatively small. Campaigns to increase the awareness of the significance of CVD in women should probably be revised.