title: Attributing heart attack and stroke to "Old Age": Implications for subsequent health outcomes among older adults.
abstract: This study assessed the extent to which older adults attribute a recent heart attack/stroke to "old age," and examined consequences for subsequent lifestyle behavior and health-care service utilization. Community-dwelling adults (N = 57, ages 73-98 years) were interviewed about their heart attack/stroke, and an objective health registry provided data on health-care utilization over a 3-year period. Endorsement of "old age" as a cause of heart attack/stroke negatively predicted lifestyle behavior change, and positively predicted frequency of physician visits and likelihood of hospitalization over the subsequent 3 years. Findings suggest the importance of considering "old age" attributions in the context of cardiovascular health events.
authors.affiliation: Idaho State University, USA stewtara@isu.edu.
authors.forename: Tara L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.affiliation: University of Manitoba, Canada.
authors.forename: Judith G
authors.initials: JG
authors.lastname: Chipperfield
authors.affiliation: University of Manitoba, Canada.
authors.forename: Raymond P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.affiliation: University of Manitoba, Canada.
authors.forename: Jeremy M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Hamm
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000209:etiology*
keywords: aging; health-care utilization; heart attack/stroke; illness attributions; self-directed age stereotypes