Treatment-seeking behavior for acute myocardial infarction symptoms in North America and Australia

Objective The goal of this study was to compare North American and Australian patients' sociodemographic, clinical, cognitive, emotional, and social factors associated with behavior in seeking treatment for symptoms of acute myocardial infarction.Patients Subjects included 277 North Americans (mean age, 58 +/- 12 years; 72% men) and 147 Australians (mean age, 62 +/- 13 years; 66% men) with acute myocardial infarction.Methods Data were obtained with the Response to Symptoms Questionnaire and from the patients' hospital records.Results In both groups, patients who delayed longer (P Conclusion Programs to reduce delay in response to acute myocardial infarction symptoms must take account of cognitive and emotional processes and differences in response in the particular cultures of patients.