Heart Disease Risk Perception in College Men and Women

Abstract

The authors sought to assess the perception of risks for coronary heart disease (CHD) in college men and women. They surveyed 470 undergraduates from 2 major 4-year institutions who completed a questionnaire that measured perceived risks for heart disease. Sixty-eight percent of the respondents rated their risks as lower or much lower than those of their peers, indicating a clear optimistic bias. The research also revealed that the students who exercised regularly rated their risk of coronary disease lower than those who did not do so. In addition, women perceived a number of risk markers to be more potent or causative factors than men did. A significant number of participants did not comprehend commonly understood causal relationships associated with heart disease risk. The findings in this preliminary investigation suggest that college men and women do not accurately perceive their risks for developing heart disease.

Key Words:

• college students
• heart disease
• risk perceptions

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Barbara Belmont

All of the authors are with Texas institutions. John S. Green and Melinda Grant are with Texas A&M University in College Station; Kathy L. Hill is with Sam Houston State University in Huntsville; Jeff Brizzolara is with the Methodist Hospital in Houston; Barbara Belmont is with the Veterans Hospital in Dallas.