COGNITIVE APPRAISAL AND CARDIAC RISK REDUCTION BEHAVIOR FOLLOWING CORONARY ANGIOPLASTY

Clinicians express concern that because percutaneous transluminal coro nary angioplasty (PTCA) is minimally invasive and yields rapid symptom relief patients with successful PTCA may be too optimistic about thei r future health status may no longer perceive heart disease as a threa t to health and thus, may view cardiac risk-reduction behaviors as unn ecessary. This study examined the relationship between patients' cogni tive appraisal of PTCA (treatment appraisal and heart disease threat) and subsequent participation in cardiac risk-reduction behavior 2 week s following hospital discharge. The sample included 58 subjects with s uccessful PTCA. The majority were older; married Caucasian men who rep orted participation in cardiac risk-reduction behavior (not smoking, e xercising regularly, and following a low fat/low sodium diet) followin g PTCA. Although heart disease threat was a significant negative predi ctor of psychological well-being, it did not predict self-reported par ticipation in cardiac risk-reduction behavior.