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Abstract
This paper explores the experiences of Australian mid-age women with reported heart disease with specific reference to gender and age. This is a collaborative study with the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. The heart disease study focused on the mid-age cohort of 14,011 women, of whom 2.3% (319) reported having been told by a doctor that they had heart disease. The methods comprised 1) a national questionnaire survey about women’s experiences of heart disease; and 2) in-depth interviews with women with reported heart disease. The paper focuses on the reported problems of delayed diagnosis of the women with heart disease, in particular those women presenting with heart attacks. Most women in this age group considered heart disease to be a gendered disease, primarily a disease of men. This research points to the importance of exploring understandings of illness and its impact on health care practice.