Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Women with a History of Complications of Pregnancy: From Awareness to Management

Asghar Vahedi, Farnoosh

Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Women with a History of Complications of Pregnancy: From Awareness to Management

Asghar Vahedi, Farnoosh

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Publication Type:: Thesis
Issue Date:: 2023

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Asghar Vahedi, Farnoosh
dc.date.accessioned	2024-06-12T04:35:12Z
dc.date.available	2024-06-12T04:35:12Z
dc.date.issued	2023
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/179485
dc.description	University of Technology Sydney. Faculty of Health.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.description.abstract	Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, and women who experience complications during pregnancy, such as pregnancy loss (miscarriage and stillbirth), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), and gestational diabetes (GDM), have a significantly higher risk of future CVD. Increasing awareness of CVD risk among these women and healthcare providers is crucial for effective engagement in risk reduction programs. This study aimed to identify knowledge gaps of Australian women with a history of complications of pregnancy and healthcare providers regarding CVD risk associated with one or more complications of pregnancy, and to explore women and healthcare providers’ practice towards the management of the risk. Three literature reviews were conducted to synthesise evidence on the association between complications of pregnancy and future CVD in women. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted, recruiting 299 women and 397 healthcare providers in Australia. Data were collected through face-to-face and online surveys and analysed using quantitative descriptive and inferential statistical procedures. The literature reviews consistently demonstrated that women with a history of pregnancy loss, HDP, and GDM are at an increased risk of developing CVD in the future. The results of both surveys demonstrated that study populations, including both women and healthcare providers, had suboptimal levels of knowledge about the increased risk of CVD associated with complications of pregnancy. A significant number of women were not aware if they had CVD risk factors and were not engaged in behaviours and programs to reduce their risk. Also, healthcare providers showed insufficient practice and attitudes towards the assessment, prevention, and management of CVD risk among these high-risk women. The study identified knowledge and practice gaps among women and healthcare providers regarding the increased risk of CVD associated with a complicated pregnancy. It was shown that CVD risk in this group of women was mismanaged by healthcare providers. The study highlights the need for education, support, and future research to increase awareness and knowledge of CVD risk among women and healthcare providers, and to improve their attitudes and practices towards managing CVD risk in this high-risk group of women.	en_US.UTF-8
dc.format	Thesis (PhD)
dc.language.iso	en_US	en_US.UTF-8
dc.relation	https://opus.lib.uts.edu.au/bitstream/10453/179485/1/thesis.pdf
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.rights	The author owns the copyright in this thesis including all reproduction and reuse rights for the work. The work may not be altered without the permission of the copyright owner. Attribution is essential when quoting or paraphrasing from this thesis.
dc.rights	© 2023 Farnoosh Asghar Vahedi
dc.rights	au.edu.uts.lib/cph
dc.title	Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Women with a History of Complications of Pregnancy: From Awareness to Management	en_US.UTF-8
dc.type	Thesis
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*

Abstract:

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death worldwide, and women who experience complications during pregnancy, such as pregnancy loss (miscarriage and stillbirth), hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP), and gestational diabetes (GDM), have a significantly higher risk of future CVD. Increasing awareness of CVD risk among these women and healthcare providers is crucial for effective engagement in risk reduction programs. This study aimed to identify knowledge gaps of Australian women with a history of complications of pregnancy and healthcare providers regarding CVD risk associated with one or more complications of pregnancy, and to explore women and healthcare providers’ practice towards the management of the risk. Three literature reviews were conducted to synthesise evidence on the association between complications of pregnancy and future CVD in women. Two cross-sectional surveys were conducted, recruiting 299 women and 397 healthcare providers in Australia. Data were collected through face-to-face and online surveys and analysed using quantitative descriptive and inferential statistical procedures. The literature reviews consistently demonstrated that women with a history of pregnancy loss, HDP, and GDM are at an increased risk of developing CVD in the future. The results of both surveys demonstrated that study populations, including both women and healthcare providers, had suboptimal levels of knowledge about the increased risk of CVD associated with complications of pregnancy. A significant number of women were not aware if they had CVD risk factors and were not engaged in behaviours and programs to reduce their risk. Also, healthcare providers showed insufficient practice and attitudes towards the assessment, prevention, and management of CVD risk among these high-risk women. The study identified knowledge and practice gaps among women and healthcare providers regarding the increased risk of CVD associated with a complicated pregnancy. It was shown that CVD risk in this group of women was mismanaged by healthcare providers. The study highlights the need for education, support, and future research to increase awareness and knowledge of CVD risk among women and healthcare providers, and to improve their attitudes and practices towards managing CVD risk in this high-risk group of women.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/179485