E-Thesis 64480 views 128 downloads
General practioners' and psychiatrists' attitudes to and involvement in cardiovascular health promotion for people with serious mental illness (SMI). / Jude Nnamdi Chukwuma
Swansea University Author: Jude Nnamdi Chukwuma
-
PDF | E-Thesis
Download (3.47MB)
Abstract
Background: People with serious mental illness (SMI) have higher than average rates of cardiovascular disorders, and tend to die young from these and other common diseases. Health promotion and lifestyle counselling may be able to contribute to reducing morbidity and mortality in this very vulnerabl...
| Published: |
2012
|
|---|---|
| Institution: | Swansea University |
| Degree level: | Doctoral |
| Degree name: | Ph.D |
| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa42275 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Abstract: |
Background: People with serious mental illness (SMI) have higher than average rates of cardiovascular disorders, and tend to die young from these and other common diseases. Health promotion and lifestyle counselling may be able to contribute to reducing morbidity and mortality in this very vulnerable population. Aims: To investigate General Practitioners' (GPs)' and psychiatrists' attitudes to cardiovascular health promotion for people with SMI, establish their levels of involvement in these activities, and explore any associations between the health practitioners' own health behaviours / lifestyles and their attitudes to and involvement in cardiovascular health promotion for people with SMI. Hypotheses: (1)GPs are more likely than psychiatrists to report positive attitudes to health promotion for people with SMI. (2) GPs are more likely than psychiatrists to report involvement in cardiovascular health promotion for people with SMI. (3) There are no differences between GPs and psychiatrists in terms of the effects of their own health behaviours on their attitudes to cardiovascular health promotion for people with SMI. (4) There are no differences between GPs and psychiatrists in terms of the effects of the practitioners' own health lifestyles on their involvement in cardiovascular health promotion for people with SMI. Conclusions: In this questionnaire based survey, GPs and psychiatrists differed in their attitudes to and reported involvement in cardiovascular health promotion for people with SMI. Factors other than professional status were also important. The first hypothesis was partially rejected - GPs were more negative than psychiatrists - but this was less important than respondents' belief in their own counselling skills and taking responsibility for life style interventions. Given that the final model only accounted for 7.3% of the variance other factors must also be important. Hypothesis two was accepted as, conversely, GPs were significantly more likely than psychiatrists actually to be involved in delivering cardiovascular health promotion to people with SMI. Hypothesis three was accepted. However, it was noted that GPs were more likely than psychiatrists to be current smokers and to report alcohol use. When testing hypothesis four, a weak relationship was found between 'no current alcohol use' and being involved in health promotion, although this effect was less significant than being a GP, rather than a psychiatrist. The main limitations of the study are: the sampling frame, and the self report nature of the data. The former may have led to selection bias. The latter may have led to reporting bias. These are mitigated by the high response rate and the demographic similarity of the sample to the general population of GPs. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.). |
|---|---|
| Keywords: |
Medicine.;Mental health. |
| College: |
Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences |