Providing guideline-recommended preventive cardiovascular care to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women: exploring gender differences with a medical record review in primary health care.

Background: For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, the premature burden of cardiovascular disease is affecting their capacity to fulfil roles in society, and promote the health and wellbeing of future generations. In Australia, there is limited understanding of the difference in primary preventive cardiovascular care experienced by women, despite knowledge of sex and gender differentials in health profile and receipt of guideline-based acute care. This paper sought to explore the health profile and receipt of assessment and management of cardiovascular risk for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women accessing preventive primary health care, and investigate gender differentials. Method: Records of 1200 current clients, 50% women, aged 18–74 years from three Aboriginal Health Services in central and South Australia for the period 7/2018–6/2020 were reviewed. Results: Twelve percent had documented cardiovascular disease. Compared with men, women with no recorded cardiovascular disease had a greater likelihood of being overweight or obese, a waist circumference indicative of risk, diabetes, and depression. Women were less likely to report being physically active. Conclusions: The research concluded that gaps exist in the provision and recording of guideline-recommended primary preventive care regardless of sex. These are stark, given the evident burden. Variance in cardiovascular risk and disparities in care have been documented for women; however, the knowledge about gaps in care is less explored for sub-populations, such as Indigenous populations. This study explores the health profile and receipt of preventive risk assessment and management in primary health services for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women compared with men, finding women and men alike experience gaps in the provision of care to meet identified health needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]