In September 2025, the IHF ran a campaign to encourage women to know the symptoms of heart disease and stroke and to talk to their doctor about their heart health. Pre and post campaign evaluation research was conducted via Ipsos B&A telephone omnibus (also for the 2024 campaign). The robust base size allowed for sub analysis of the target group of females aged 45+ in comparison to other cohorts of the population.
The high cost of healthy foods and gym memberships are also creating barriers to living a healthy lifestyle, according to the research conducted for the Irish Heart Foundation.
The data also reveals that just over half of women (51%) say they know the symptoms of heart disease and stroke – but a significantly higher
67% believe they know the symptoms of breast cancer.
The Ipsos B&A research was conducted for the charity’s Her Heart Matters campaign, which is supported by the Department of Health Women’s Health Fund and the HSE. The campaign supports and empowers women to take control of their own heart health and take action to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease.
“What we are asking women to do is to take stock of where they are at and understand what factors impact their heart health – even one small change can make a huge difference,” said Janis Morrissey, Director of Health Promotion.
“It seems for many, life and lack of time is getting in the way, but it’s not about a drastic overhaul of lifestyle, just to ask themselves questions such as: am I stressed?, am I active?, how is my diet?, do I smoke?, when did I last have my blood pressure checked?”
The new study shows only 13% of females correctly think they are more likely to be diagnosed with heart disease and stroke than breast cancer (66%), despite heart disease and stroke killing six times as many women as breast cancer.
The charity is also concerned about the reasons women gave for not prioritising their heart health, with worries about the cost of health checks identified as a key reason (25%).
For more information, contact Belinda Norton, Associate Director, Ipsos B&A: belinda.norton@ipsosbanda.ie
Log on to: https://irishheart.ie/campaigns/her-heart-matters-heart-month/
