She positions her work as “tied to the gradual shift we are experiencing in how we look at cardiovascular health and disease from a gender perspective.” In the past, men were thought of as the ones who would suffer a stroke or a heart attack. As Walcott-Francis explains, “women got left behind in research on heart disease and even in diagnosis. But now, we are at point where we have not only acknowledged that women do suffer heart attacks but that they present with different symptoms.”
Thus, she “questions and puts to test some of the theories that attempt to account for people’s lifestyle behaviour and choices.” She notes, “in this field, it can get quite complex. It is not a simple matter of saying or believing that an individual will change her/his behaviour if they realise that they are at risk of developing cardiovascular disease but there will be several factors at play that will determine the individual’s decision about whether or not to change.”
One factor seems to be a feeling of personal responsibility, and of having a connection to other people’s lives. In her research, for instance, Walcott-Francis reports that “a number of the women saw their involvement in physical activity as much more than ‘just’ keeping healthy. They saw it as an important part of fulfilling their responsibilities of motherhood; being healthy and fit enough to participate in activities alongside their children as well as being around for important events (graduation, marriage etc.) in their children’s and even grandchildren’s lives.” Thus, “when we think about behaviour change, it can never be addressed with a one solution fits all strategy.”
