Percentage of respondents citing various causes of cardiovascular disease and warning signs of heart attack
| Causes of heart attack | Male (n=229) | Female (n=548) | Total (n=777) | p Value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number (%) | Number (%) | Number (%) | ||
| Hypertension | 43 (18.8) | 60 (10.9) | 103 (13.3) | <0.01 |
| High blood sugar | 3 (1.3) | 5 (0.9) | 8 (1.0) | 0.06 |
| High cholesterol | 47 (20.5) | 74 (13.5) | 121 (15.6) | 0.01 |
| Physical inactivity | 16 (7.0) | 22 (4.0) | 38 (4.9) | 0.08 |
| Overweight | 13 (5.7) | 29 (5.3) | 42 (5.4) | 0.82 |
| Cigarette/bidi smoking | 80 (34.9) | 147 (26.8) | 227 (29.1) | 0.02 |
| Smokeless tobacco | 19 (8.3) | 26 (4.7) | 45 (5.8) | 0.06 |
| Excessive alcohol | 72 (31.4) | 131 (23.9) | 203 (26.1) | 0.03 |
| Excess stress | 37 (16.2) | 74 (13.5) | 111 (14.3) | 0.34 |
| Warning signs | Male (n=93)† | Female (n=222)† | Total (n=315)† | |
| Number (%) | Number (%) | Number (%) | p Value* | |
| Difficulty in breathing | 17 (11.1) | 41 (15.1) | 58 (13.6) | 0.25 |
| Pain in the chest | 30 (19.6) | 57 (21.0) | 87 (20.5) | 0.74 |
| Pain or numbness in the arms | 0 (0) | 3 (1.1) | 3 (0.7) | – |
| Pain in the teeth or jaw | 0 (0) | 1 (0.4) | 1 (0.2) | – |
| Excessive sweating | 15 (9.8) | 30 (11.0) | 45 (10.6) | 0.69 |
| Vomiting tendency | 1 (0.7) | 6 (2.2) | 7 (1.6) | 0.65 |
| Dizziness or light-headedness | 24 (15.7) | 40 (14.7) | 64 (15.1) | 0.78 |
| Loss of consciousness | 55 (35.9) | 86 (31.6) | 141 (33.2) | 0.36 |
*Obtained from a χ² test.
†Respondents who did not know any warning sign were excluded from the analysis.
Numbers are based on participants’ unprompted responses. Only established cardiovascular disease risk factors are included and responses citing other non-established causes (eg, food hygiene, air pollution, etc) are excluded.