Article Figures & Data
Tables
Women “Lower Than Average” Men “Lower Than Average” Characteristic Yes n (%)a No n (%)a PValueb Yes n (%)a No n (%)a PValueb a Might not equal 100% due to rounding. b Determined by the χ2 test. c First-degree, early-onset myocardial infarction. d Self-reported. e Systolic blood pressure >139 mm Hg, diastolic blood pressure >89 mm Hg, or taking blood pressure medications. Total 557 (33) 1,121 (67) 397 (35) 741 (65) Age at enrollment <.01 .28 35–44 y 209 (38) 322 (29) 141 (36) 247 (33) 45–54 y 142 (26) 288 (26) 98 (25) 210 (28) 55–64 y 111 (20) 299 (27) 89 (22) 179 (24) 65–75 y 95 (17) 212 (19) 69 (17) 104 (14) Race/ethnicity .22 .29 White, non-Hispanic 503 (90) 977 (87) 357 (90) 664 (90) White, Hispanic 8 (1.4) 17 (1.5) 3 (0.8) 10 (1.3) Black/African American 14 (2.5) 31 (2.8) 16 (4.0) 18 (2.4) Other 32 (5.7) 96 (8.6) 21 (5.3) 49 (6.6) Education level <.01 .01 <High school graduate 197 (35) 543 (48) 163 (41) 374 (51) High school graduate 167 (30) 321 (29) 94 (24) 167 (23) Some college 107 (19) 171 (15) 77 (19) 110 (15) ≥4-y college graduate 86 (15) 86 (7.7) 63 (16) 90 (12) Per capita household income <.01 .01 <$7,500 200 (36) 515 (46) 117 (30) 268 (36) $7,500 to <$12,500 146 (26) 266 (24) 95 (24) 195 (26) >$12,500 211 (38) 340 (30) 185 (47) 278 (38) Foreign born 132 (24) 348 (31) <.01 115 (29) 268 (36) .01 Family historyc 40 (10) 91 (12) .11 73 (13) 181 (16) .27 Current smoker 110 (20) 308 (28) <.01 92 (23) 274 (37) <.01 Obese 94 (17) 400 (36) <.01 81 (20) 205 (28) <.01 Diabetes mellitusd 29 (5.2) 115 (10) <.01 27 (6.8) 71 (9.6) .11 Hypertensione 156 (28) 489 (44) <.01 169 (43) 365 (49) .03 Total cholesterol >200 mg/dL 331 (59) 813 (73) <.01 264 (67) 551 (74) <.01 - Table 2.
Crude and Framingham Risk Score-Adjusted Association Between Low Self-Rated CVD Risk and CVD Death by Sex
Women (n=1,678) Men (n=1,138) Low SRR No. of Deaths From CVD HR (95% CI) HRadj (95% CI) No. of Deaths From CVD HR (95% CI) HRadj (95% CI) CI=confidence interval; CVD = cardiovascular disease; HR = hazard ratio; HRadj=adjusted hazard ratio; ref=reference group; SSR=self-rated cardiovascular disese risk. Yes 14 0.9 (0.5–1.7) 1.5 (0.8–2.8) 8 0.3 (0.2–0.7) 0.4 (0.2–0.8) No 30 ref ref 46 ref ref - Table 3.
Distribution of Framingham Risk Score Categories Among Participants Endorsing Their Risk as Lower Than Others of Same Age and Sex
Distribution Women (n=555) % Men (n=396) % Low (<2 risk factors and <10% 10-y risk) 75.0 46.0 Moderate (>2 risk factors and <10% 10-y risk) 16.0 9.3 High (10%–20% 10-y risk) 4.1 19.0 Very high (>20% 10-y risk) 5.2 26.0
Additional Files
In Brief
Self-Rated Cardiovascular Risk and 15-Year Cardiovascular Mortality
Robert Gramling , and colleagues
Background Many people believe they have a low risk of cardiovascular disease, but little is known about the long-term results of such optimistic beliefs. In this study, researchers evaluate whether lower self-ratings of cardiovascular disease risk are related to lower rates of death from cardiovascular disease.
What This Study Found Men (but not women) who rate their 5-year risk of having a stroke or heart attack as "low" go on to have a lower-than-expected rate of death from cardiovascular disease in the next 15 years. Analyzing data from 2,816 adults, researchers found that men who rated their cardiovascular disease risk as lower than other men of their age had nearly a three times lower incidence of death from cardiovascular disease compared with all others.
Implications
- For men, optimistic perceptions of health risk leads to health benefits.
- A message about cardiovascular disease risk from a trusted doctor is likely to have a more long-lasting effect on patients� self-ratings of risk of cardiovascular disease than messages from less trusted sources.
