Psychosocial determinants of risk perception.

Perceived susceptibility to a heart attack is examined by considering selected psychosocial factors relating to achieving or maintaining ideal weight and exercising regularly. Perceptions of control and severity of heart disease, benefits of taking remedial actions, and exposure to personalized risk information are considered as factors influencing risk perceptions. Multiple regression is used as the statistical tool to test for overall significance of a model including the hypothesized factors and to identify significant predictors within the model. Subjects in this study were participants in a worksite health screening using Health Risk Appraisals. Data for this dissertation was taken from a telephone interview following the screening which included questions regarding health beliefs, health behaviors, and reactions to the Health Risk Appraisal screening. The results suggest that perceived severity is directly associated with perceived susceptibility to a heart attack. Control was found to be inversely related to susceptibility. Those individuals who believed that they could control their weight or exercise regularly were likely to deny their susceptibility to a heart attack, even in the presence of deleterious health behaviors. Benefits of controlling weight or exercising regularly, while not consistently emerging as significant predictors of susceptibility, were directly associated with perceived susceptibility with those feeling susceptible to having a heart attack also recognizing health benefits from controlling weight or exercising regularly. Exposure to personalized risk information from the Health Risk Appraisal feedback did not significantly influence perceived susceptibility. The predictive ability of the model ranged from twelve percent to thirty-five percent variance explained, depending upon the sample and variables included.PhDPublic healthSocial psychologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/161874/1/8813008.pd