title: Qualitative Exploration of Illness Perceptions of Rheumatoid Arthritis in the General Public.
abstract: Treating patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) within three months of symptom onset leads to significantly improved outcomes. However, many people delay seeking medical attention. In order to understand the reasons for this delay, it is important to have a thorough understanding of public perceptions about RA. The current study investigated these perceptions using the Self-Regulation Model (SRM) as a framework to explain how health behaviour is influenced by illness perceptions (prototypes) through qualitative interviews with 15 members of the public without RA. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using framework analysis based on SRM illness perceptions. Both accurate and inaccurate perceptions about the identity, causes, consequences, controllability and timeline of RA were identified. This highlights opportunities to enhance public knowledge about RA. These findings further support the utility of exploring prototypical beliefs of illness, suggesting their potential role in influencing help-seeking behaviours and identifying probable drivers/barriers to early presentation. © 2016 The Authors Musculoskeletal Care Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
authors.affiliation: University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Gwenda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Simons
authors.affiliation: Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mason
authors.affiliation: University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Falahee
authors.affiliation: University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.|Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK.|University of Manchester, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Kanta
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.affiliation: Keele University, Keele, UK.
authors.forename: Christian D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Mallen
authors.affiliation: University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.|Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS Trust, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Karim
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Raza
authors.affiliation: University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK.|Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham, UK.
authors.forename: Rebecca J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Stack
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011639:Public Opinion
keywords: Rheumatoid arthritis; early intervention; help-seeking; illness perceptions; patient decision-making
references.citation: Med Care. 1981 Jul;19(7):693-709
references.pmid: 7266118
references.citation: Br J Gen Pract. 2010 Aug;60(577):597-603
references.pmid: 20822692
references.citation: Rheumatology (Oxford). 2010 May;49(5):1005-12
references.pmid: 20189950
references.citation: Ann Rheum Dis. 2000 Jan;59(1):32-8
references.pmid: 10627424
references.citation: Rheumatology (Oxford). 2004 Jul;43(7):906-14
references.pmid: 15113999
references.citation: Psychol Health Med. 2012;17(4):427-39
references.pmid: 22111893
references.citation: Musculoskeletal Care. 2017 Mar;15(1):13-22
references.pmid: 26833593
references.citation: Clin Rheumatol. 2013 May;32(5):635-44
references.pmid: 23329349
references.citation: Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2013 Dec;65(12):1916-26
references.pmid: 23926091
references.citation: Ann Rheum Dis. 1979 Apr;38(2):97-100
references.pmid: 443891
references.citation: Ann Rheum Dis. 2012 Apr;71(4):493-7
references.pmid: 22121128
references.citation: WHO Reg Publ Eur Ser. 1992;44:256-61
references.pmid: 1514980
references.citation: Rheumatology (Oxford). 2014 Sep;53(9):1646-53
references.pmid: 24729397
references.citation: BMC Med Res Methodol. 2013 Sep 18;13:117
references.pmid: 24047204
references.citation: Health Psychol. 1986;5(2):95-114
references.pmid: 3732230
references.citation: Health Educ Q. 1983 Spring;10(1):3-29
references.pmid: 6629788
references.citation: Psychosom Med. 2002 May-Jun;64(3):436-49
references.pmid: 12021417
references.citation: J Psychosom Res. 2001 Dec;51(6):713-9
references.pmid: 11750293
references.citation: Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2006 Oct;20(5):849-63
references.pmid: 16980210
references.citation: Arthritis Rheum. 2010 Dec;62(12):3537-46
references.pmid: 20722031
references.citation: Rheumatology (Oxford). 2009 Jan;48(1):57-60
references.pmid: 18984608
references.citation: Ann Rheum Dis. 2013 Jan;72(1):13-22
references.pmid: 22532640
references.citation: Nurse Res. 2011;18(2):52-62
references.pmid: 21319484
references.citation: BMC Musculoskelet Disord. 2010 Sep 16;11:211
references.pmid: 20846429
references.citation: J Rheumatol. 2015 Apr;42(4):585-92
references.pmid: 25641894
references.citation: Ann Rheum Dis. 2011 Oct;70(10):1822-5
references.pmid: 21821867
references.citation: Health Psychol. 1993 May;12(3):171-9
references.pmid: 8500446
references.citation: Rheumatology (Oxford). 2007 Sep;46(9):1438-40
references.pmid: 17578850
references.citation: BMJ. 2011 Nov 01;343:d6962; author reply d7052
references.pmid: 22046011
references.citation: Arthritis Rheum. 2007 Dec 15;57(8):1419-25
references.pmid: 18050182
references.citation: Musculoskeletal Care. 2016 Mar;14(1):26-36
references.pmid: 26052985