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----------------------------------------------------------------------- Women more afraid of cancer than of heart disease ----------------------------------------------------------------------- WASHINGTON (November 19, 1997 02:11 a.m. EST -- Late-middle-aged women are far more fearful of cancer than the illness that's likely to kill them -- a heart attack -- a poll released Tuesday shows. A survey of 1,000 women between the ages of 45 and 64 conducted for the National Council on the Aging found that 61 percent feared cancer most, particularly breast cancer, versus just 9 percent for heart attack. Yet by age 65, 1 in 3 women have some degree of heart disease, while the risk of breast cancer is 1 in 17 at that age. Lung cancer is actually the leading cancer killer among women as well as men. 24 percent of women in the survey said they were personally most concerned about breast cancer, while just 7 percent cited lung cancer and about 19 percent each said they were worried about heart disease and Alzheimer's disease. Risk assessment expert Vincent Covello, who conducted focus group discussions with small groups of women, laid blame for much of the confusion to information overload. Eighty percent of the women in the survey said they got most of their health information from the media; with doctors and nurses running a distant second at 26 percent. Covello said too many medical studies -- sometimes contradictory, almost always complex, often hastily and briefly reported in the mass media -- "can overwhelm individuals when they try to make clear, informed decisions about their health and lives." A similar survey conducted recently by the American Heart Association, found that just 8 percent of American women consider heart disease and stroke their greatest health threat. "If women aren't aware of this, then how can we expect them to make the necessary lifestyle changes, including diet and exercise, that are so important in preventing health problems in older ages?" said AHA vice president for advocacy Diane Canova. Among some of the other misperceptions disclosed: -- Nearly 40 percent of women incorrectly believe that "exercise and diet alone will prevent heart disease." -- Almost 33 percent of the women incorrectly thought that diet, vitamins and exercise can prevent Alzheimer's disease, while a similar proportion knew that hormone replacement therapy may reduce risk of the disease. -- Nearly 50 percent incorrectly believed that calcium and diet alone can prevent osteoporosis, but 80 percent answered correctly that hormone therapy can reduce the risk of the bone-weakening disease. The council, a non-profit group made up of health care professions and voluntary health organizations, will join with other groups next year in a new educational campaign aimed at older women. The effort will be devoted both to getting out accurate information on reducing the risk of disease and to giving women tips on how to interpret results or medical studies they may hear about or see in the news. "We hope better information will arm women with the knowledge and perspective they need to navigate the many health decisions and challenges they face," said James Firman, president of the council. By LEE BOWMAN, Scripps Howard News Service Copyright 1997 Nando.net Copyright 1997 Scripps Howard <http://www.nando.net/newsroom/ntn/health/111997/health25_10162_noframes.html> ----------------------------------------------------------------------- janet [log in to unmask]