DALLAS (Reuters) - Minority women in the United States are less aware of heart problems and stroke than their white counterparts despite being at greater risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study released on Monday.

Bridging this knowledge gap is regarded as critical because awareness is key to potentially life-saving prevention, researchers said.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death among women in the United States -- claiming the lives of nearly 500,000 each year in the country -- and the mortality rate from these illnesses is highest among black women.

Risk factors in general are also higher among ethnic minorities and those from lower income groups.

"Tremendous progress has been made in raising awareness of heart disease in women over the last decade," said Dr. Lori Mosca, co-author of the study and director of preventive cardiology at New York-Presbyterian Hospital.

"However, we still face the challenge to reduce ethnic disparities and maximize knowledge among all racial and ethnic groups," she said in a statement.

The survey results are published in the January/February 2007 issue of the Journal of Women's Health.

More than 1,000 women were interviewed by phone nationwide for the study and the results were compared with previous surveys done in 1997.

The women were asked about their knowledge and awareness of risk factors and healthy lifestyle changes among other things.

Its main findings were as follows:
* Overall, 57 percent of the women surveyed were aware that heart disease was the leading cause of death among women compared to 30 percent in the 1997 survey.

* There remained a glaring disparity in awareness of heart disease among black and Hispanic women (31 percent and 29 percent, respectively) compared to white women (68 percent) -- that had not changed in the past decade.

* There is still confusion among women in general about preventative strategies such as the best diet and the role of aspirin, hormones and supplements in prevention. "This is particularly important because our previous research has shown that awareness is linked to preventive action," Mosca said.

"In order to decrease the disparities in awareness, we need to target women who need the information the most," she said.