Health perception in individuals requesting pre-symptomatic testing for late-onset neurological diseases
Health perceptions are personal beliefs and assessments of general health and show us how people see themselves as being well or not. Health perceptions are a subjective concept and may reflect more individual feelings and beliefs than their current health state. Individual perceptions about their own health are very important for counseling in late-onset diseases (Huntington's disease, Machado-Joseph’s disease and familial amyloid neuropathy).
Our aim was to evaluate the health perception of the individuals that come for pre-symptomatic testing and compare them to healthy people, not at risk for genetic disease. Our hypothesis consists in individuals at-risk that come for pre-symptomatic testing may present a worst health perception and show more adverse indicators regarding their health, once they are pressed by the doubt of being or not being a carrier for an incapacitating disease. We applied the Health Perception Questionaire (HPQ) immediatly before the first counselling session. The schedule was also applied to a sample of the general population.
There are significative differences regarding factor “current health”. The group at-risk presents a more positive perception about their current health. The group at-risk shows higher health perception indicators than the control group. The group at-risk thinks that its current health is better than the control group and, more than this one, try to continue their life even when feeling ill; the group at-risk see them self healthier and feeling well-being longer than the control group. The group at-risk is more reserved when feeling ill and is more worried with their health than the control group. The control group avoids that illness interferes in their lives, more than the group at-risk. The control group has more expectations about having a healthier life and suffered less delayed diseases.