Aliya Darr1, Felicity Astin, Karl Atkin. 1. Centre for Research in Primary Care, Institute of Health Sciences and Public Health Research, University of Leeds, Leeds, United Kingdom.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: We examined and compared the illness beliefs of South Asian and European patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) about causal attributions and lifestyle change. METHODS: This was a qualitative study that used framework analysis to examine in-depth interviews. SAMPLE: The study comprised 65 subjects (20 Pakistani-Muslim, 13 Indian-Hindu, 12 Indian-Sikh, and 20 Europeans) admitted to one of three UK sites within the previous year with unstable angina or myocardial infarction, or to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery. RESULTS: Beliefs about CHD cause varied considerably. Pakistani-Muslim participants were the least likely to report that they knew what had caused their CHD. Stress and lifestyle factors were the most frequently cited causes for CHD irrespective of ethnic grouping, although family history was frequently cited by older European participants. South Asian patients were more likely to stop smoking than their European counterparts but less likely to use audiotape stress-relaxation techniques. South Asian patients found it particularly difficult to make dietary changes. Some female South Asians developed innovative indoor exercise regimens to overcome obstacles to regular exercise. CONCLUSION: Misconceptions about the cause of CHD and a lack of understanding about appropriate lifestyle changes were evident across ethnic groups in this study. The provision of information and advice relating to cardiac rehabilitation must be better tailored to the context of the specific needs, beliefs, and circumstances of patients with CHD, regardless of their ethnicity.
OBJECTIVE: We examined and compared the illness beliefs of South Asian and European patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) about causal attributions and lifestyle change. METHODS: This was a qualitative study that used framework analysis to examine in-depth interviews. SAMPLE: The study comprised 65 subjects (20 Pakistani-Muslim, 13 Indian-Hindu, 12 Indian-Sikh, and 20 Europeans) admitted to one of three UK sites within the previous year with unstable angina or myocardial infarction, or to undergo coronary artery bypass surgery. RESULTS: Beliefs about CHD cause varied considerably. Pakistani-Muslim participants were the least likely to report that they knew what had caused their CHD. Stress and lifestyle factors were the most frequently cited causes for CHD irrespective of ethnic grouping, although family history was frequently cited by older European participants. South Asian patients were more likely to stop smoking than their European counterparts but less likely to use audiotape stress-relaxation techniques. South Asian patients found it particularly difficult to make dietary changes. Some female South Asians developed innovative indoor exercise regimens to overcome obstacles to regular exercise. CONCLUSION: Misconceptions about the cause of CHD and a lack of understanding about appropriate lifestyle changes were evident across ethnic groups in this study. The provision of information and advice relating to cardiac rehabilitation must be better tailored to the context of the specific needs, beliefs, and circumstances of patients with CHD, regardless of their ethnicity.
Authors: S C Sanderson; M A Diefenbach; S A Streicher; E W Jabs; M Smirnoff; C R Horowitz; R Zinberg; C Clesca; L D Richardson Journal: Public Health Genomics Date: 2012-12-12 Impact factor: 2.000
Authors: Muhammad Omar Malik; L Govan; John R Petrie; Nazim Ghouri; Graham Leese; Colin Fischbacher; Helen Colhoun; Sam Philip; Sarah Wild; Rory McCrimmon; Naveed Sattar; Robert S Lindsay Journal: Diabetologia Date: 2015-02-12 Impact factor: 10.122