Perceived risk for chronic diseases in resource-abundant and resource-challenged settings: Family health history and its influence on health-seeking behavior among senior citizens and college students in Utah and among Filipino communities

This study investigated the differences in the perceived risks for 11 chronic diseases among three different groups of respondents from two different healthcare settings: senior citizens and college students in urban Utah with access to health information and services and Filipino respondents from indigent communities in Bohol, Philippines whose access to healthcare is only through occasional free clinics. A 31-item self-reported questionnaire was administered that assessed perception of risk for chronic diseases and health-seeking behavior as influenced by a family health history of diagnoses and mortalities among first- and second-degree relatives, or both, for each of the 11 chronic diseases (heart disease and stroke; cancers of the breast, colon, and ovaries; diabetes; asthma; osteoporosis; rheumatoid arthritis; Alzheimer's disease; depression; and obesity). Findings showed that respondents in all three groups generally perceived personal behavior, family health history, environmental factors, and even random chance to determine one's risk for chronic diseases. Except for diabetes and depression, senior citizens and college students have similar views of chronic disease risk in which one of four determinants generally stood out as the strongest correlate of risk. Among Filipinos, except for diabetes, the closeness of the means suggest uncertainty of disease attribution and/or lack of awareness of the nature and etiology of the disease process. The need to increase awareness for family health history as a cost-effective prevention tool in resource-challenged settings and the implications of the differences in risk perceptions on health promotion measures are further discussed.