Gender overload associated with cardiovascular risk in supposedly healthy middle-aged Women at "Mártires del Corynthia" Community Clinic

Abstract

Introduction: Women incorporation into work and social life means that gender overload should not be neglected since it can influence their health.
Objective: Determine the presence of gender overload associated with cardiovascular risk in supposedly healthy middle-aged women.
Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in women between 40 and 59 years old, supposedly healthy, at Mártires del Corynthia community clinic in Plaza municipality, Havana, from June 1, 2012 to June 1, 2013. Four-hundred fifteen (415) women from four doctor's offices constituted the universe. They had a 0.05 alpha resulting 95% of significance, which result in two-hundred (200) women as consequential significant sample. A data collection allowed applying the World Health Organization SCORE of cardiovascular risk. The Gender Overload Index was calculated.
Results: 186 women were found with low risk (93 %), 13 with moderate risk (6.5 %) and 1 with high risk (0.5 %). The cardiovascular risk factors found were hypercholesterolemia, smoking habit, high blood pressure and diabetes mellitus, in that order. Gender overload was more frequent among women with higher cardiovascular risk (p= 0.023).
Conclusions: The risk factors assessed were more frequent in women with gender overload.