Perceptions of Heart-Healthy Behaviors among African American Adults: A Mixed Methods Study.

Cheryl Der Ananian,Megan Tisue,Sharon Thompson,Donna Winham

doi:10.3390/ijerph15112433

Abstract

African Americans have a disproportionately higher risk of chronic conditions such as cardiovascular disease (CVD), type 2 diabetes, and hypertension than other ethnic or racial groups. Data regarding CVD-related perceptions and beliefs among African Americans are limited, particularly in the Southwest US. Assessment of current views regarding health and health behaviors is needed to tailor interventions to meet the unique needs of specific populations. We sought to examine knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of African Americans living in Arizona toward CVD and etiological factors associated with health behaviors and chronic disease development to inform state health agency program development. Transcripts from 14 focus groups (n = 103) were analyzed using Grounded Theory for perceived disease risk, knowledge of CVD risk factors, nutrition, preventative behaviors, and barriers and motivators to behavior change. Participants identified CVD, stroke, and diabetes as leading health concerns among African-Americans but were less certain about the physiological consequences of these diseases. Diet, stress, low physical activity, family history, hypertension, and stroke were described as key CVD risk factors, but overweight and obesity were mentioned rarely. Participants described low socio-economic status and limited access to healthy foods as contributors to disease risk. Focus group members were open to modifying health behaviors if changes incorporated their input and were culturally acceptable. Respondents were 41% male and 59% female with a mean age of 46 years. This study provides insight into CVD and associated disease-related perceptions, knowledge, and attitudes among African Americans in the Southwest and recommendations for interventions to reduce CVD risk.

Highlights

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death for adults in the United States (US) with an estimated 85.6 million Americans experiencing some form of CVD [1,2]
They spoke of a general awareness of the connections between disease states, such as hypertension leading to stroke
Many African American focus groups (FGs) participants had a general awareness of CVD including knowledge about the signs and symptoms of heart attack, stroke, hypertension, and high cholesterol

Summary

Introduction

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death for adults in the United States (US) with an estimated 85.6 million Americans experiencing some form of CVD [1,2]. A condition that originates from atherosclerosis, is the most common form of CVD and the primary cause of one-third of all US adult deaths [7]. This form of CVD remains the leading cause of death for most racial and ethnic groups, including Hispanics, non-Hispanic Whites, and African. Public Health 2018, 15, 2433; doi:10.3390/ijerph15112433 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

Results

Discussion

Conclusion