title: Self-reported health beliefs, lifestyle and health behaviours in community-based patients with diabetes and hypertension.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study describes self-reported health and lifestyle behaviours and health risk beliefs among community patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and hypertension.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients with both type 2 diabetes and hypertension were recruited from community family practices across 3 Canadian Maritime provinces. Patients completed a survey targeting health risk beliefs, and health and lifestyle behaviours. Analyses examined differences in patient beliefs by age and sex, as well by health and lifestyle behaviour.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, 90.8% of patients believed that controlling both blood pressure and blood glucose were important, particularly women (p<0.01), and 92.8% felt that having both conditions put them at high risk for cardiovascular problems. Older patients reported higher antihypertensive medication adherence (p<0.0001). Most (90.8%) believed that prescription drug use was most helpful for controlling blood pressure, and this belief was associated with medication adherence (p<0.0001). Overall, patients who believed in the benefits of a given lifestyle behaviour were more likely to demonstrate the behaviour.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of patients surveyed were knowledgeable about their increased risk for cardiovascular problems. Patient lifestyle behaviours tended to mirror their health beliefs. These results provide important insight into the health beliefs and lifestyle behaviours of patients who receive the majority of their care in the community.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Electronic address: bev.lawson@dal.ca.
authors.forename: Beverley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lawson
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Kristine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Van Aarsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Celeste
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Latter
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Wayne
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Putnam
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Nandini
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Natarajan
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
authors.forename: Frederick
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Burge
keywords: croyances en matière de santé; diabète de type 2; health beliefs; hypertension; type 2 diabetes