Many U.S. Women Lack Knowledge About Cholesterol, Screening Efforts, Report Says

Main Category: Cholesterol
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology
Article Date: 25 Sep 2007 - 3:00 PDT

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Many U.S. women lack knowledge about cholesterol and screening efforts, according to a survey released Thursday by the Society for Women's Health Research, CQ HealthBeat reports. According the survey, more than 70% of women ages 55 and older said they have had their cholesterol tested within the past year; however, nearly 20% said they have never had their cholesterol tested, have not had it tested in the last five years or are unsure if they ever have had a cholesterol test.

The report found that four in 10 women surveyed were "very surprised" or "somewhat surprised" to learn that cholesterol levels naturally increase with age. Nearly one-third of the women surveyed were very or somewhat surprised that a person's cholesterol still could remain high despite regular exercise and a healthy diet, the report found. In addition, more than half of women ages 55 and older surveyed did not know or incorrectly believed the optimal levels of HDL and LDL cholesterol, and about half did not know that HDL is the "good" cholesterol and reduces the risk for heart disease (CQ HealthBeat, 9/20).

Previous Survey, Reaction
A separate survey that SWHR released last month found that about 63% of U.S. women are concerned about high cholesterol, but only 32% know their cholesterol number (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report, 8/22). The American Heart Association and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and other health experts recommend that women and men ages 20 and older have their cholesterol checked at least once every five years. An optimal level of total cholesterol is less than 200, CQ HealthBeat reports.
"High cholesterol is a major risk factor for heart disease and cholesterol levels naturally rise as you age, so it is important for aging women to make sure their cholesterol score is in an acceptable range," Jo Parrish, vice president of communications for SWHR, said, adding, "A healthy diet and lifestyle throughout life reduces your risk of heart disease, but as we get older and approach retirement age, it is important to more closely monitor our risk factors" (SWHR release, 9/20).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.kaisernetwork.org. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery at http://www.kaisernetwork.org/dailyreports/healthpolicy. The Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report is published for kaisernetwork.org, a free service of The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation© 2005 Advisory Board Company and Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.