Changes in Personal Adjustment to Perceived and Medically Established Heart Disease: A Panel Study

Abstract

Farmers'' responses to medically established and perceived heart disease were studied. Cardiacs, iatrogenics,hiddens and normals were contrasted with respect to changes in work behavior, health precautions and knowledge about heart disease. Changes in work behavior (where physical exertion is the limiting factor) were more likely to be made by the farmers who actually had heart disease, whether it was recognized by them or not However, in other situations the belief that one was diseased, rather than the presence of clinically diagnosed heart disease, most influenced the farmer''s behavior. Iatrogenics, more often than hidden cardiacs took precautions to safeguard their health and informed themselves about the disease.