Gender differences in heart diseases: Evidence from Turkey

Objectives: This study examines gender differences in heart disease experiences of individuals in Turkey by employing individual level data from a nationally representative survey. Methods: By using Turkish Health Survey, this study constructs a binary indicator for heart disease experiences of individuals, which accounts for heart problems such as myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease and angina pectoris. Binary logistic regression models are estimated for quantification of associations between prevalence of heart diseases, gender and other risk factors. Results: Empirical results imply that females are significantly less likely to experience heart diseases in Turkey. Age and hypertension issues are directly correlated with heart problems for both males and females. Perceived health status is negatively associated with probability of experiencing heart diseases for both males and females in Turkey. Having diabetes is a positive significant predictor of heart disease experiences for Turkish females. Females with higher household income level are less likely to have heart diseases. Finally, education level and lifestyle indicators such as smoking, physical activity, fruit, vegetable and alcohol consumption display mixed results. Conclusions: This study suggests that there are gender differences in prevalence and risk factors of heart diseases in Turkey. Complementing the earlier literature, findings of this study imply that gender specific health interventions would be effective in coping with heart related diseases. (C) 2019 Fellowship of Postgraduate Medicine. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.