Abstract P450: Young Women with Increased Cardiovascular Disease Risk Burden have Poor Health Literacy

Introduction: Young women are thought to have low cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk; however, mortality due to ischemic heart disease has actually risen among women aged 35-44 years. We hypothesized that young women with increased CVD risk burden are more likely to misperceive body image and less likely to practice healthful behaviors. Methods: To determine CVD risk burden among young women (aged 18-49 years) of a primarily urban population, 569 women visiting outpatient medical clinics were assessed. Anthropometric measures [height, weight, waist, body mass index (BMI)], attitudes towards weight, and lifestyle behavior were determined. Body image self-perception was assessed using validated silhouette scales. Increased CVD risk burden was defined as presence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, tobacco use, hyperlipidemia, and/or obesity. Results: Participants were Hispanic (62.7%; 357/569); non-Hispanic White (20.7%; 118/569); non-Hispanic Black (8.9%; 51/569) and Asian/other ethnicity (7.5%; 43/569); me...