JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one cause of death in women in the United States. Awareness of CVD and its risk factors are critical to reversing this trend.

Objective:

This project aimed to assess CVD awareness among adolescent and young adult women and develop a lifestyle-based cardiovascular risk assessment tool for use with this population.

Methods:

This study used a 3-phase iterative design process with young women from primary care and reproductive care clinics in Atlanta, Georgia. In Phase 1, we administered a modified version of the American Heart Association Women’s Health Survey to young women ages 15-24 (n=67) to assess their general CVD awareness. In Phase 2, we interviewed young women ages 13-21 (n=10) and healthcare practitioners (n=10) to solicit suggestions for adapting an existing adult cardiovascular risk assessment tool for this age group. In Phase 3, we employed an iterative user-centered design process to collect feedback from approximately 105 young women as we adapted the adult tool.

Results:

Only 10.5% (n=7) of young women surveyed correctly identified CVD as the leading cause of death among women in the US. Few respondents reported having discussed their personal risk (6%, n=4) or family history of CVD (11.9%, n=8) with a healthcare provider. Young women demonstrated increased CVD awareness and knowledge after completing the adult risk assessment tool and suggested making the tool more teen-friendly by incorporating relevant foods and activity options. The result of the iterative design process was a youth friendly prototype of a CVD risk assessment tool.

Conclusions:

Adolescent and young adult women demonstrate low awareness of CVD. This study illustrates the potential value of a CVD risk assessment tool adapted for use with young women and showcases the importance of user-centered design when creating digital health interventions.