Are perceptions of a family history of heart disease related to health-related attitudes and behaviour?

It has been argued that perceptions of familial tendencies to disease are c ommon and important in decisions about health-related behaviours, Indeed, i t has been suggested that the increased 'geneticization' of society may lea d to an increased fatalism about health, which could undermine initiatives aimed at reducing coronary-prone behaviour, To date, much of the research o n lay perceptions of inheritance has been based on people at high risk of p articular genetic disorders or on qualitative research with small general p opulation samples, Here we investigate perceptions of a family history of h eart disease, using quantitative techniques, to test hypotheses about the r elationship between a perceived family history (pFH), coronary 'candidacy' and adherence to health promotion advice which were raised by earlier anthr opological work. We find that reported perceptions of a family history of h eart disease are common, particularly amongst women in middle-age. In isola tion a PFH is not related to current smoking; however, the odds of smoking are lower for those with a pFH of heart disease when account is also taken of other attitudinal factors (the 'salience' of heart disease and the stren gth of adherence to conventional coronary health promotion).