Knowledge on disease and lifestyle changes in patients post-infarction

Abstract

The objective of this descriptive study was to identify the knowledge that people acquire after suffering an infarction and the lifestyle changes they make. Interviews were conducted with 31 people followed at a Family Health Unit. Regarding their knowledge, only 15% of the subjects were able to define the disease and 74% were able to state only one or two causes. Regarding lifestyle changes, 58% of the subjects did not make any changes to their lifestyle based on the infarction. There is broad knowledge in scientific literature regarding the risk factors for infarction; however, this study shows that closer attention should be given to the population that has been affected by the disease, as they have little information on the disease and on how to prevent it, which is one of the factors that contributed to their not changing their lifestyle.

Descriptors: Nursing; Infarction; Risk Factors; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Life Style.