Characteristics Associated with Racial Disparities in Illness Beliefs of Patients with Heart Failure

• Published in: Behavioral medicine (Washington, D.C.) Vol. 35; no. 4; pp. 112 - 125
• Main Authors: Albert, Nancy M., Trochelman, Kathleen, Meyer, Kathryn H., Nutter, Benjamin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia, PA Taylor & Francis Group 2010; Taylor & Francis; Taylor & Francis Inc
• Subjects: Accuracy; African Americans; Age Factors; Analysis of Variance; Attitude to Health - ethnology; Beliefs; Biological and medical sciences; Black American people; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular disease; Cohort Studies; Continental Population Groups; Data collection; Databases, Factual; Education; Educational Status; Ethnicity; Etiology; Family Involvement; Female; Fractions; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health beliefs; Health care; Health Services; Heart; Heart failure; Heart Failure - ethnology; Heart Failure - psychology; Heart failure, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, cardiac enlargement; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Humans; Hypertension; illness beliefs; Illnesses; Individual Characteristics; Internal Medicine; Interviews as Topic; Likert Scales; Linear Models; Male; Medical sciences; Mens health; Miscellaneous; Mortality; Patient Education; Patients; Psychology and medicine; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychophysiology; Race; Racial Differences; Records (Forms); Researchers; Response Rates (Questionnaires); Social Support; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic status; Studies; Surveys and Questionnaires; United States; Whites; United States; Belief; Human; Heart failure; education; Education level; race; African Americans; Cardiovascular disease; Ethnic group; illness beliefs; Sociodemographic factor; Heart disease; Disparity; African American
• ISSN: 0896-4289; 1940-4026
• DOI: 10.1080/08964280903334519

African Americans have greater misperceptions about heart failure (HF) than Caucasians. We examined socioeconomic and medical history factors to determine if they explain differences in accuracy of HF illness beliefs by race. 519 patients completed an illness beliefs and socioeconomic status survey. After establishing univariate associations by race, linear regression with backward selection was used to identify factors associated with HF illness beliefs accuracy. HF illness beliefs were less accurate among African Americans (p < .01). In multivariate models, race remained a predictor of HF illness beliefs accuracy, as did education level and living status (all ps ≤ .01). Illness beliefs of African Americans were inaccurate and independently associated with social support and education level. Health care providers must consider patient education processes as a possible cause of differences and focus on what and how they teach, literacy level, materials used, and family engagement and education.