title: Health beliefs among individuals at increased familial risk for type 2 diabetes: implications for prevention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate perceived risk, control, worry, and severity about diabetes, coronary heart disease (CHD) and stroke among individuals at increased familial risk of diabetes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data analyses were based on the Family Healthware™ Impact Trial. Baseline health beliefs were compared across three groups: (1) no family history of diabetes, CHD or stroke (n=836), (2) family history of diabetes alone (n=267), and (3) family history of diabetes and CHD and/or stroke (n=978).
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjusting for age, gender, race, education and BMI, scores for perceived risk for diabetes (p<0.0001), CHD (p<0.0001) and stroke (p<0.0001) were lowest in Group 1 and highest in Group 3. Similar results were observed about worry for diabetes (p<0.0001), CHD (p<0.0001) and stroke (p<0.0001). Perceptions of control or severity for diabetes, CHD or stroke did not vary across the three groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among individuals at increased familial risk for diabetes, having family members affected with CHD and/or stroke significantly influenced perceived risk and worry. Tailored lifestyle interventions for this group that assess health beliefs and emphasize approaches for preventing diabetes, as well as its vascular complications, may be an effective strategy for reducing the global burden of these serious but related chronic disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Promotion and Development, School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. jsd@pitt.edu
authors.forename: Janice S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Dorman
authors.forename: Rodolfo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Valdez
authors.forename: Tiebin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Catharine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Wendy S
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Rubinstein
authors.forename: Suzanne M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.forename: Louise S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Acheson
authors.forename: Mack T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Ruffin
authors.forename: Muin J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Khoury
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology