Associations of attitude to cardiovascular diagnostics and physical activity in the population of a moderately urbanized Siberian city: a gender aspect

Aim. To study gender-related associations between the attitudes to cardiovascular diagnostics and physical activity in an open population aged 25-64 years in the city of Tyumen.Material and Methods. The results of this work were based on data from two cross-sectional epidemiological studies conducted in open populations of 25-64 year-old men and women. Representative samples were formed using the random number method based on the electoral lists of individuals of both genders (1000 persons for each sample) residing in the Central Administrative District of Tyumen. The response rates to the study were 85.0% among men and 70.3% among women. The World Health Organization MONICA-Psychosocial Project questionnaire titled "Knowledge and Attitude to Your Health" was used in the format of self-completion.Results. In an open population of the moderately-urbanized Siberian city of Tyumen, men, belonging to the group preferring self-perceived health assessment to modern methods of cardiovascular diagnostics, tended to have negative attitudes toward physical activity. Men considered examination by a doctor sufficient for cardiovascular diagnostics. This attitude was also reflected by a decrease in physical activity over the past 12 months. In contrast, women from this group had positive attitudes toward physical activity. Negative and positive attitudes to physical exercise were found in men and women, respectively, in the group of individuals who considered the use of modern methods for diagnosing heart diseases. Women in this group believed that they were much more passive compared with male individuals of similar age.Conclusions. The patterns found between attitudes to physical activity and objective-subjective population health indicators can serve as a scientific foundation for regional prevention programs.