The effects of family history and personal experiences of illness on the inclination to change health-related behaviour.
The aim of the present study was to examine how a personal experience of illness and a family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), adjusted for sex, level of education and nationality, affect risk behaviour. Participants were 1,011 and 1,043, 50-year-old men and women from Sweden and Poland, respectively, who were recruited from a primary health care screening programme. Family history, personal experience of illness and risk behaviour (smoking and exercise habits, BMI level) were self-reported. The results showed that smoking behaviour was affected by a personal experience of illness but not by a family history of CVD. No effects of these variables were found on the remaining risk-related variables tested in this study. These results suggest that individuals with a personal experience of illness may be more inclined to change smoking behaviour than the average person. Smoking prevention strategies may therefore benefit from targeting this group in particular.
Andersson
Per
P
School of Health, Care and Social Welfare, Mälardalen University, Västerås, Sweden. per.andersson@mdh.se
Sjöberg
Rickard L
RL
Ohrvik
John
J
Leppert
Jerzy
J
D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D015444:Exercise; D005192:Family Health; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology; D011044:Poland; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D016540:Smoking Cessation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden