How women label and respond to symptoms of acute myocardial infarction: Responses to hypothetical symptom scenarios

Objective: To investigate how women label and intend to respond to common and less common symptoms of acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Design: Telephone interviews were conducted with 862 women older than age 50 years in the state of Washington. Outcome Measures: Intended coping strategies, labeling of hypothetical symptoms, perceived risk of AMI, knowledge of AMI symptoms, medical and family history of AMI and demographics. Results: Women who labeled common or less common symptoms as a heart attack (65% and 36%, respectively) were more likely to report they would call 911 or go to a hospital right away than women who labeled these symptoms as something else. The results of a multiple logistic regression analysis suggests that knowledge of less common AMI symptoms, AMI information seeking, and personal risk perceptions were significant predictors of labeling less common symptoms as a heart attack. Conclusions: The findings suggest that many women might be in danger of mislabeling their symptoms and not taking appropriate action. Women need to be educated about the less common symptoms of AMI and need to be encouraged to seek out information regarding AMI. (Heart Lung® 1999; 28:261-9.)