Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality among Canadian women, with women of Indigenous, South Asian, and lower socio-economic backgrounds at greater risk. In order to drive public awareness of CVD risk, the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada launched their re-branding campaign in November 2016 with the Twitter hashtag #MoreMoments. The aim of this study was to investigate what "more moments" meant to Canadians; in particular, health behavior implications of disease prevention and implications for gendered identities of those at CVD risk. Methods: Twitter data with "#MoreMoments" was analyzed from September 1, 2017 to November 30, 2017 (136 Tweets and Quote Tweets, 351 Re-Tweets, 227 images, 18 videos, 2 GIFs, 46 external links, and 36 replies to external link messages). A critical discourse analysis methodology was chosen to guide data collection and analysis to identify the discourses (patterned perceptions and ways of thinking) and identities for CVD prevention. Results: Meanings constructed by Twitter users surrounding CVD were identified within two discourses; a discourse of tragedy and loss, and a discourse of life and health. These discourses further constructed gendered identities for visionary leaders, selfless humanitarians, and successful survivors. Twitter users constructed cardiovascular functioning through risk reduction within one's means such as walking, as well as dependence on medical institutional control to create meanings for what it meant to be alive and in good cardiovascular health. Health behaviours were tied to gendered relationships with family members such as maternal caregiving, recreational activities of preference, and innovative medical advances. The results revealed beneficial and problematic identities for risk reduction for those at CVD risk, with implications for improving current public health promotion. For example, inclusion of diversity of women's social roles and racial backgrounds.