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- Andersson, Per, et al.
(author)
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The effects of family history and personal experiences of illness on the inclination to change health-related behaviour
- 2009
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In: Central European Journal of Public Health. - : National Institute of Public Health. - 1210-7778 .- 1803-1048. ; 17:1, s. 3-7
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The aim of the present study was to examine how a personal experience of illness and a family history of cardiovascular disease (CVD), adjusted for sex, level of education and nationality, affect risk behaviour. Participants were 1,011 and 1,043, 50-year-old men and women from Sweden and Poland, respectively, who were recruited from a primary health care screening programme. Family history, personal experience of illness and risk behaviour (smoking and exercise habits, BMI level) were self-reported. The results showed that smoking behaviour was affected by a personal experience of illness but not by a family history of CVD. No effects of these variables were found on the remaining risk-related variables tested in this study. These results suggest that individuals with a personal experience of illness may be more inclined to change smoking behaviour than the average person. Smoking prevention strategies may therefore benefit from targeting this group in particular.
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