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Knowledge of myocardial infarction symptoms and perceptions of self-risk in Tanzania.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Hertz, JT; Madut, DB; Tesha, RA; William, G; Simmons, RA; Galson, SW; Sakita, FM; Maro, VP; Bloomfield, GS; Crump, JA; Rubach, MP
Published in: Am Heart J
April 2019

BACKGROUND: Little is known about community knowledge of myocardial infarction symptoms and perceptions of self-risk in sub-Saharan Africa. METHODS: A community survey was conducted in northern Tanzania, where the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors is high. Households were selected randomly in a population-weighted fashion and surveys were administered to self-identified household healthcare decision-makers. Respondents were asked to list all symptoms of a heart attack and asked whether they thought they had a chance of suffering a heart attack. Associations between participant sociodemographic features and responses to these questions were assessed with Pearson's chi-squared and the Student t test. RESULTS: There were 718 survey participants, with median (IQR) age 48 (32, 62) years. Of these, 115 (16.0%) were able to identify any conventional symptom of a heart attack, including 24 (3.3%) respondents who cited chest pain as a possible symptom. There was no association between ability to identify a conventional symptom and gender, level of education, socioeconomic status, urban residence, or age. Of respondents, 198 (27.6%) thought they had a chance of suffering a heart attack. Older respondents were more likely to perceive themselves to be at risk (P < .001), but there was no association between perception of self-risk and gender, level of education, socioeconomic status, or urban residence. CONCLUSIONS: In northern Tanzania, knowledge of myocardial infarction symptoms is poor among all segments of the population and only a minority of residents perceive themselves to be at risk of this disease. Educational interventions regarding ischemic heart disease are urgently needed.

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Published In

Am Heart J

DOI

EISSN

1097-6744

Publication Date

April 2019

Volume

210

Start / End Page

69 / 74

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Tanzania
  • Symptom Assessment
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Sex Factors
  • Risk
  • Myocardial Infarction
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Health Surveys
 

Citation

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Hertz, J. T., Madut, D. B., Tesha, R. A., William, G., Simmons, R. A., Galson, S. W., … Rubach, M. P. (2019). Knowledge of myocardial infarction symptoms and perceptions of self-risk in Tanzania. Am Heart J, 210, 69–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ahj.2019.01.003
Hertz, Julian T., Deng B. Madut, Revogatus A. Tesha, Gwamaka William, Ryan A. Simmons, Sophie W. Galson, Francis M. Sakita, et al. “Knowledge of myocardial infarction symptoms and perceptions of self-risk in Tanzania.Am Heart J 210 (April 2019): 69–74. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ahj.2019.01.003.
Hertz JT, Madut DB, Tesha RA, William G, Simmons RA, Galson SW, et al. Knowledge of myocardial infarction symptoms and perceptions of self-risk in Tanzania. Am Heart J. 2019 Apr;210:69–74.
Hertz, Julian T., et al. “Knowledge of myocardial infarction symptoms and perceptions of self-risk in Tanzania.Am Heart J, vol. 210, Apr. 2019, pp. 69–74. Pubmed, doi:10.1016/j.ahj.2019.01.003.
Hertz JT, Madut DB, Tesha RA, William G, Simmons RA, Galson SW, Sakita FM, Maro VP, Bloomfield GS, Crump JA, Rubach MP. Knowledge of myocardial infarction symptoms and perceptions of self-risk in Tanzania. Am Heart J. 2019 Apr;210:69–74.
Journal cover image

Published In

Am Heart J

DOI

EISSN

1097-6744

Publication Date

April 2019

Volume

210

Start / End Page

69 / 74

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Tanzania
  • Symptom Assessment
  • Socioeconomic Factors
  • Sex Factors
  • Risk
  • Myocardial Infarction
  • Middle Aged
  • Male
  • Humans
  • Health Surveys