Americans' Awareness of Heart Attack Symptoms

In the February 22 issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, researchers from the National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, published the results of a survey they conducted in 14 states to assess the level of public awareness of the signs of myocardial infarction (heart attack).

They asked respondents to identify "the five signs and symptoms of a heart attack" from a list of six symptoms, and then asked what the respondents would do if they believed they or a loved one were having a heart attack.

They reported that only 31% could identify all five signs of heart attack, and only 27% could identify all five signs and also knew they should call 911 immediately. Women and non-Hispanic whites did better in the survey than men, Hispanics or non-whites. The investigators concluded that more money should be spent to educate the public about the symptoms of, and the appropriate response to, heart attacks.

DrRich Comments

I have nothing against members of the CDC (whose jobs depend on federal funding), conducting surveys that support the need for more federal funding, at least when the efforts they hope to fund can save lives. However, a closer look at the results of this study reveals them to be not nearly as dire as the authors seem to suggest.

Here is a list of the five signs of a heart attack the authors asked about, along with the percentage of correct answers they received for each:

• Pain or discomfort in the jaw, neck or back - 48%
• Feeling weak, lightheaded, or faint - 62%
• Chest pain or discomfort - 92%
• Pain or discomfort in the arms or shoulder - 85%
• Shortness of breath - 93%
• Would call 911 as first action - 86%

Compare these results to the results of a survey conducted in 2007 among 1502 American adults by the Pew Research Center:

• Percent who can name the vice president - 69%
• Percent who can name their current governor - 66%
• Percent who can name the president of Russia - 36%

When compared with the general level of knowledge of the American public as measured by surveys, Americans' knowledge of at least most of the signs of a heart attack (especially the major signs), and what to do if they think a heart attack is occurring, seems remarkably good. But more education, one supposes, is always a good thing.

To that end (and without asking for federal funding), here is what you should know about the symptoms of heart disease.