Abstract 16147: Sex, Gender Factors and Cardiovascular Health in Canadian and Austrian Populations
Introduction: Little evidence exists differentiating the effect of biological sex from gender-related (i.e. psycho-socio-cultural) characteristics in cardiovascular outcomes. Hypothesis: Here, we explored the association between sex, gender, and cardiovascular health (CVH) among Canadians (CAN) and Austrians (AT). Methods: Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) (n=63,522, 55% Females) and Austrian Health Interview Survey (AT-HIS) (n=15,771, 56% Females), were analyzed. The CANHEART index, a measure of ideal CVH composed of 6 cardiometabolic risk factors ranging from 0 (worst) to 6 (ideal), was calculated in the CCHS as well as AT-HIS databases (ATHEART). A country-specific gender score was computed using principal component analysis-derived propensity score methods. The final gender scores (Range=0-1, higher score identifying characteristics traditionally ascribed to women) included: i) household size, perceived life stress, education, sense of belonging to community, marital status, and income (CAN); ii) household size, frequency of negative emotions, education, marital status and income (AT). Results: Median CANHEART and CAN gender scores were 4 [3-5] and 0.53 [0.49-0.60] while median ATHEART and AT gender scores were 4 [3-5] and 0.55 [0.46-0.64]. Although higher gender scores (CCHS: β=-1.33, 95%CI (-1.44,-1.22); AT-HIS: β=-1.11, 95%CI (-1.30,-0.91)) were associated with worse CVH, female sex (CCHS: β=0.35, 95% CI (0.33,0.37); AT-HIS: β=0.59, 95%CI (0.55,0.64)) was associated with better CVH in both populations. Additionally, higher gender scores were associated with a higher risk of heart disease, compared to female sex. The magnitude of this risk was higher in AT population (Table1). Conclusions: Individuals with characteristics typically ascribed to women reported poorer CVH and exhibited higher risk of heart disease independent of biological sex. Gender factors must be targeted for improving cardiovascular health.