Kansas Health Institute | Information For Policy Makers. Health for Kansans.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Officials at the University of Kansas Hospital are trying to expand a women's heart screening program that began in Kansas City to other parts of the state.

Heart disease kills more women than any other disease, including breast cancer, in Kansas and across the nation. But the hospital staff learned most women weren’t aware it was a leading cause of death – or if they had risk factors for heart disease.

“Heart disease is the number one killer of women, but half of all women know that,” said Julie Amor, the hospital's marketing director. “Most women you ask think it is another disease. Awareness levels are clearly low.”

Over the the last three years, through the “A Change of Heart” program, KU Hospital has screen almost 600 women and men for heart disease, said Karin Morgan, the program’s director.

The 90-minute screening includes basic lab work for measuring cholesterol and blood sugars. Body Mass Index also is measured. Women are then given their lab results and immediately meet with nutritionists, nurses and others to learn how they can improve their numbers, lose weight, stop smoking or address other factors that may lead to heart disease.

Almost 90 percent of those screened have had at least one risk factor, Morgan said. About 70 percent have had more than one.

Program staff members are now looking for people in communities across the state who would like to do screenings in their towns. An advisory committee will be named in the coming weeks of women who have agreed to spearhead efforts in their communities, Amor said.

“I think what we have to do is to be considerate of each community,” she said. “Sometimes they have times of the year that work better for them. We need to be sure we can work within these communities more than anything else. We can get in the car tomorrow and go, but I think we need to be conscious about what they need.”

Rep. Cindy Neighbor, D-Shawnee, was among those who attended a kick-off event held at Cedar Crest, the governor's mansion in Topeka, last month to explore ways to expand the program. She also has been screened and said she was encouraged by efforts to expand the program.

“I think knowledge is powerful,” she said. “Information on heart disease has not been put out there like breast cancer, which we see everywhere. I don’t think people have been educated about this as being a high priority.”

Each screening costs $60. Neighbor said those who attended the April event talked about ways to provide scholarships or otherwise pay for women who couldn’t afford the fee.

The first advisory group meeting is scheduled for August, Amor said. The group will talk about ways to best reach women for the screenings.

“It’s difficult to communicate with busy women,” she said.

Though the program targets women, men also may be screened.

“We’ve had several married couples” participate in the screenings, Amor said. “A lot of times women will come through and say, ‘I’m going to bring my husband back.’”

KU researchers hope the screening initiative will help them better understand how people make lifestyle changes once they know they are at risk for heart disease, Morgan said.

The hospital will use new software to collect data on awareness and look for trends they can use to improve their education efforts, she said.