title: Self-perceived health versus actual cardiovascular disease risks.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Self-perceived poor health is related to cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk perception, cardiovascular event, hospital readmission, and death from CVD. This study evaluated the associations between self-perceived health and actual CVD risk in South Koreans as well as the influence of sociodemographic and cardiovascular risk factors on self-perceived poor health.
  
  
  METHODS
  This is a secondary data analysis of the 2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The sample was 4535 South Koreans aged 30-74 years without CVD. Self-perceived health status was compared with actual cardiovascular risk separately by sex using χ(2) -tests. Logistic regressions were used to identify potential sociodemographic and cardiovascular risk factors of self-perceived poor health.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Self-perceived poor health was related to higher CVD risk but there were substantial gaps between them. Among cardiovascular risk factors, dyslipidemia, obesity, smoking, and a family history of CVD did not affect self-perceived health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Gaps between perceived health and actual CVD risk should be closed to optimize cardiovascular health of South Koreans. Koreans need to increase risk perception to a level commensurate with their actual risk. Healthcare providers should try to provide individuals at increased CVD risk with better information more frequently, especially those who have favorable perceptions of their health but smoke or have elevated cholesterol levels and bodyweight.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Gachon University, Incheon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Young
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ko
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Ajou University, Suwon, South Korea.
authors.forename: Sunjoo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D056910:Republic of Korea; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012647:Self-Assessment
keywords: cardiovascular disease; health status; risk assessment; self report