Illness attribution among Japanese patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to describe causal attribution of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Japanese patients. Design A cross-sectional study design was used. Setting The setting for this study was 5 hospitals in urban areas in Japan. Sample A convenience sample of 155 patients admitted with AMI was used. Measures Causal attribution was assessed by a semi-structured interview. Known risk factors were assessed by medical record review and patient interview. Results Twenty-two different primary causes for AMI were identified. Patients most commonly cited smoking, stress, and diet as risk factors. Except for smoking, Japanese patients did not identify their cardiac risk factors as a cause of their AMI. Controlling for sociodemographic characteristics, patients with a recorded history of coronary heart disease were significantly less likely to attribute their cardiac risk factors to their AMI ( P Conclusions Effective education and counseling of patients after an AMI must be coupled with their view of what factors put them at risk for future AMIs.