Dust Phenomenon: Threat Appraisal of Cardiovascular Patients

Abstract

Introduction: Dust phenomenon is a major environmental problem in world that threatens the middle-east countries specifically. In order to develop a need-based policy and regulate the supporting health program to reduce dust effects requires a proper understanding of the public beliefs about threats posed by this issue. The purpose of this study was to explain the threat appraisal patients with cardiovascular diseases regarding exposure to dust phenomena.
 Method: This qualitative content-analysis study was conducted from January to June 2018. The participants included 28 cardiovascular patients who referred to the healthcare centers in Ahvaz City. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with open-ended questions and inspiration from threat appraisal process constructs were used to collect data. All data were gathered, transcribed, and analyzed using MAXQDA-10 software and in-depth analysis.
 Findings: Perceived threat constructs were used and 4 categories and 9 sub-categories were extracted: perceived likelihood of exposure to dust (perceived likelihood of increased non-respiratory problems, perceived likelihood of increased respiratory problems), belief in seriousness and danger of exposure to dust (understanding the severity of physical complications, understanding the severity of mental and psychological complications, understanding the severity of economic complications), external reward of exposure to dust (improving personal and social relationships, improving financial problems), internal reward of exposure to dust (pleasant feeling).
 Conclusion: This study provided a clearer and deeper understanding of the threat posed by exposure to dust among cardiovascular patients. Based on the results, the authorities can design more targeted and more effective protective plans to raise awareness among community members, especially cardiovascular patients about the negative effects of exposure to dust and the ways to reduce its exposure.

Protective strategies among patients with cardiovascular diseases against dust phenomenon exposure in Ahvaz city based on the protection motivation theory

“…Enhancing the assessment of coping increases the incentive to protect, and thus, increase the probability of behavior and includes perceived response efficacy, perceived self-efficacy, and perceived response costs. The perceived response efficacy is the expectation of person that the adaptive response can eliminate the perceived threat; and is expected to increase the effectiveness of suggested responses of preventive behaviors (20). The self-efficacy of a person is the belief in being able to perform well-behaved adaptive behaviors and recommended behaviors.…”

“…The self-efficacy of a person is the belief in being able to perform well-behaved adaptive behaviors and recommended behaviors. It is expected that an understanding of high self-efficacy will lead to more positive responses in the individuals (20,21). Response costs include total Barriers in recommending preventive behaviors, including financial and non-financial costs, such as time, effort, discomfort, and etc.…”

“…The assessment of coping is obtained with the sum of the response efficacy and the perceived selfefficacy minus the response cost. In this way, an increase in the response efficacy and self-efficacy and a reduction in the response cost will increase the assessment of coping, therefore, response efficacy and self-efficacy increase the ability to select adaptive responses, while the reaction of the response cost reduces the choice of adaptive responses (20). The efficacy of the two mediation processes creates the protection motivation and behavior (22).…”

“…In order to be motivate protective attitude, perceived severity and perceived sensitivity must overcome incompatible response rewards, and also perceived self-efficacy and perceived response efficacy must overcome consistent response costs. Protection motivation is an intermediate variable between the stages of threat assessment, assessment of coping and preventive behavior (20). Therefore, considering the vulnerability of patients with CVDs to the risks of dust exposure and limited the same researches, the present study aimed to examine protective strategies of patients with CVDs against exposure to dust phenomenon based on the PMT.…”