A qualitative study of the perceptions of coronary heart disease among Hong Kong Chinese people

Aims and objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions of coronary heart disease among a sample of Hong Kong Chinese people. 
Background. Coronary heart disease is increasing among Chinese populations. Reducing coronary heart disease risk is highly dependant on a person’s evaluation of the risks and lifestyle behaviour. However, Chinese perceptions of coronary heart disease and the risks have been underexplored. 
Design. A qualitative study was conducted using focus group interviews. 
Method. Focus group interviews were tape recorded and transcribed. The data were analysed using content analysis. 
Results. The results show that the Hong Kong Chinese participants underestimated the severity of coronary heart disease. Perceptions of risk of coronary heart disease were influenced by the risk factors, symptoms, age, optimism, levels of suffering from coronary heart disease and reliance on medical professionals. Most of the participants perceived that this is because of inadequate understanding of coronary heart disease and lack of resources for coronary heart disease health education. 
Conclusion. Societal readiness is paramount in imparting accurate coronary heart disease knowledge to mediate the perception of coronary heart disease as a major health problem that affects the Chinese population. 
Relevance to clinical practice. Understanding the Chinese participants’ perceptions of coronary heart disease is vital in developing illness prevention and health promotion strategies to increase their levels of knowledge of coronary heart disease risk factors reduction. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley and Sons.