Factors that influence personal perceptions of the risk of an acute myocardial infarction
Authors
Meischke, HendrikaSellers, Deborah E.
Robbins, Mark L.
Goff, David C. Jr.
Daya, Mohamud
Meshack, Angela
Taylor, Judy
Zapka, Jane G.
Hand, Mary McDonald
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Medicine, Division of Preventive and Behavioral MedicineMeyers Primary Care Institute
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2000-09-06Keywords
AdolescentAdult
Age Factors
*Attitude to Health
Female
*Health Education
Health Surveys
Humans
Linear Models
Male
Middle Aged
Myocardial Infarction
Primary Prevention
Questionnaires
Risk
Risk Factors
*Self-Assessment
Sex Factors
United States
Health Services Research
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Personal risk perceptions of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) affect people's preventive health behaviors as well as their beliefs during a heart attack episode. The authors investigated factors that are associated with personal risk perceptions of having an AMI. A random-digit-dial survey was conducted among 1294 respondents, aged 18 years or older, in 20 communities across the nation as part of the Rapid Early Action for Coronary Treatment (REACT) trial. Results of two mixed-model linear regression analyses suggested that worse perceived general health, more risk factors, and greater knowledge were associated with greater perception of AMI risk. The results also showed that women who answered, incorrectly, that heart disease is not the most common cause of death for women in the United States reported significantly lower risk perceptions than women who answered this question correctly. The findings in this study suggest that interventions need to target specific misconceptions regarding AMI risk.Source
Behav Med. 2000 Spring;26(1):4-13. Link to article on publisher's siteDOI
10.1080/08964280009595748Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/36878PubMed ID
10971879Related Resources
Link to Article in PubMedae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1080/08964280009595748