The impact of personalized risk feedback on Mexican Americans' perceived risk for heart disease and diabetes.
Little is known about the effect of personalized risk information on risk perceptions over time, particularly among ethnically diverse subpopulations. The present study examines Mexican American's (MAs) risk perceptions for heart disease and diabetes at baseline and following receipt of risk feedback based on family health history. Participants comprising 162 households received a pedigree or personalized risk feedback, with or without behavioral risk reduction recommendations. Multiple logistic regression analyses were used to assess lifetime perceived risk (LPR) at baseline, 3 months and 10 months following the receipt of risk feedback. Having an elevated familial risk of heart disease or diabetes increased the odds of an elevated LPR for both diseases at baseline. At 3 months, compared with receipt of a pedigree only, MAs receiving elevated risk feedback for both diseases were more likely to have an elevated LPR for both diseases. At 10 months, participants receiving weak risk feedback for both diseases indicated an adjustment to a lower LPR for heart disease only. Results suggest that communicating risk for multiple diseases may be more effective than a single disease, with responses to increased risk feedback more immediate than to weak risk feedback.
School of Communication, The Ohio State University Columbus, Ohio 43210 USA, The University of Texas School of Public Health, Austin Regional Campus, Austin, TX, 78712 USA, University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, IA, 52242 USA, Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, Northern Arizona University, Flagstaff, AZ, 86011 USA and National Human Genome Research Institute, Social and Behavioral Research Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, 20892 USA.
Shelly R
SR
Hovick
Anna V
AV
Wilkinson
Sato
S
Ashida
Hendrik D
HD
de Heer
Laura M
LM
Koehly
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005190:Family; D030141:Feedback, Psychological; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods*; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017058:Mexican Americans / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008875:Middle Aged; D018570:Risk Assessment / Q000379:methods; D012307:Risk Factors; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D055815:Young Adult