Awareness of heart disease and associated health behaviours in a developing country: A qualitative study.
Lemma N Bulto, Judy Magarey, Philippa Rasmussen and 1 others
PMID 34117843WHAT IT FOUND
Patients with hypertension in Ethiopia often knew smoking and alcohol harmed the heart, but did not see high blood pressure as a heart disease risk.
Fruit and vegetables were costly or scarce, and pain, fatigue and unsafe roads blocked exercise.
Key findings
01Most patients did not see hypertension as a cause of heart disease.
02Patients recognised smoking, alcohol, poor diet and inactivity as heart risks, but understood khat and hypertension poorly.
03Poor access and cost were barriers to eating fruit and vegetables.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 18 patients were interviewed, all with hypertension attending two hospitals in eastern Ethiopia, so these themes may not apply to other groups. Patients were interviewed face-to-face, so some may have given socially acceptable answers rather than their true views. The study explored understanding and barriers; it did not test whether nurse counselling or education changes heart disease risk or behaviour. The authors state the results are specific to the investigated population and are not generalizable to the general population.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that structured counselling will reduce heart disease risk because patients lacked awareness. This qualitative study of 18 patients reports what they understood and what barriers they described; it did not test an intervention or measure heart disease outcomes.