As the first step in the development of an intervention, pilot data were collected to identify the frequency of misconceptions in patients’ common sense models of myocardial infarction (MI). In prior work (Martin et al., in press), we found that patients’ common sense explanations for MI predicted subsequent efforts to adopt healthy lifestyle behaviors (e.g., smokers who did not implicate smoking in their personal explanations for MI continued to smoke). Thus, interventions targeting the identification and modification of such misconceptions may improve post-MI outcomes. All participants (N=136) had been diagnosed with an acute MI. A semi-structured interview was used to assess factors participants believed might have contributed to their MIs. Narrative responses were content analyzed to identify statements related to the modifiable risk factors of smoking, sedentary lifestyle, and high fat diet; excellent interrater reliability was observed. Participants’ explanations then were compared to medical records to identify the frequency of matches and mismatches. Among smokers, only 29% identified smoking as a factor that contributed to their MI. Only 30% of hyperlipidemic and/or obese participants discussed diet as an MI contributing factor. Of participants judged to be sedentary by rehabilitation nurses, only 36% indicated that a lack of exercise had been a factor in their MI. Only 7% showed a perfect match between the modifiable risk factors documented in their medical records and their common sense explanations for MI. We now are in the process of using these pilot data in the development of a tailored intervention designed to facilitate conceptual change among MI patients who incorporate misconceptions in their naïve models of heart disease.
Session #1219 - Poster Session I
The 29th Annual MNRS Research Conference (April 1-4, 2005)