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Anastasia Soureti, Robert Hurling, Peter Murray, Willem van Mechelen, Mark Cobain, Evaluation of a cardiovascular disease risk assessment tool for the promotion of healthier lifestyles, European journal of cardiovascular prevention and rehabilitation, Volume 17, Issue 5, 1 October 2010, Pages 519–523, https://doi.org/10.1097/HJR.0b013e328337ccd3
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Abstract
Although percentage risk formats are commonly used to convey cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk, people find it difficult to understand these representations.
To compare the impact of providing a CVD risk message in either a traditional format (% risk) or using an analogy of risk (Heart-Age) on participants' risk perceptions and intention to make lifestyle changes.
Four hundred and thirteen men and women were randomly allocated to one of two conditions; CVD risk as a percentage or as a Heart-Age score (a cardiovascular risk adjusted age).
There was a graded relationship between perceived and actual CVD risk only in those participants receiving a Heart-Age message (P<0.05). Heart-Age was more emotionally impactful in younger individuals at higher actual CVD risk (P<0.01). Self-reported emotional reactions further mediated the relationship between risk perception and intention to make lifestyle changes.
This study found that the Heart-Age message significantly differed from percentage CVD risk score in risk perceptions and was more emotionally impactful in those participants at higher actual CVD risk levels.
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