IGENDA protocol: gender differences in awareness, knowledge and perception of cardiovascular risk: an Italian multicenter study

Recent reports evidenced gender differences in the knowledge, perception and awareness of cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). Despite the number of high-quality trials that attempted to establish the efficacy of different preventive interventions on CVDs, in the Italian scenario the differences by gender in awareness, knowledge and perception of CVD have not been addressed yet. So, the aims of this cross-sectional, observational and multicenter study will be to evaluate the gender differences in the awareness and perception of CVD risk, to assess the knowledge of CVD symptoms and preventive behaviors/barriers in men and women participating in this study, and to provide a national primary care approach for gender-oriented cardiovascular prevention strategies and therapy.