Prevention of heart disease in women: Considerable challenges remain

Although awareness of cardiovascular disease (CVD) as the leading cause of death among US women has improved over the past decade, factors such as obesity, untreated hypertension, diabetes and the lack of access to healthcare services prevent healthcare providers from making additional gains in the fight against heart disease. Due to demographic changes in the US, healthcare providers are beginning to acknowledge the challenge of providing quality care to a diverse population. Root causes of health care disparities include variations and lack of provider understanding of health beliefs, cultural values and preferences, and patients’ inability to communicate symptoms in multiple languages. Barriers related to the patient, care provider and the healthcare system are discussed as well as ideas that will help address the challenges we face going forward.