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Show (Figure 1) were performed using contrast coefficients derived from orthogonal polynomials. Two-way and three-way cross tabulations were also used for this report (Figure 2) and results are given as percentages Likelihood ratio chi-square tests were used to determine statistical significance. Data were weighted according to estimates of the Utah population. All analyses were conducted using SUDAAN software. The 95% confidence intervals are indicated on the bar charts. Results Figure 2A shows the percentage of non-diagnosed Utah adults engaging in high-risk lifestyles by perceived seriousness of diabetes. Contrary to what might be expected, those perceiving diabetes as very serious are significantly more, rather than less, likely to be engaged in high-risk lifestyles than their counterparts viewing diabetes as not very serious (38.9 vs.28.6 percent; jr=7.5; p<.01). We now shift our attention to an assessment of the extent to which the above association between perceived seriousness and degree of lifestyle risk holds across gender and age categories. To simplify the presentation, the analysis is centered on those engaging in high-risk lifestyles. The bars in Figure 2B represent the perceived seriousness categories, and the height of the bars indicates the percentage of non-diagnosed Utah adults engaging in high-risk lifestyles with gender subgroups along the horizontal axis. Similarly, in Figure 2C, the height of the bars indicates the percentage of non-diagnosed Utah adults engaging in high-risk lifestyles with age subgroups along the horizontal axis. As can be seen in Figure 2B, the pattern mirrors the overall relationship for both males and females. In particular, the percentage of non-diagnosed Utah adults with high-risk lifestyles is roughly 12 points higher for those viewing diabetes as very serious vis-a-vis those not viewing diabetes as very serious among both males (45.5 vs. 32.3 percent) and females (33.5 vs. 23.2 percent). The seriousness and high-risk lifestyle relationship is also statistically significant for both males (x2 =6.3; p <.O5) and females Or=4.4, p <.O5). Unlike the finding for gender, the patterning is not similar across age categories (See Figure 2C). Those young adults perceiving diabetes as very serious are nearly twice as likely to engage in high-risk lifestyles as their counterparts viewing diabetes as not very serious (18.1 vs. 35.6; x2=\ 1.1; p<.001). On the other hand, only minor differences are evident in the other two age groups. Among Utah adults age 35-64, the difference between those viewing diabetes as very serious and not very serious was small (40.2 vs. 41.2; x2=.03; p=1.0). The difference was only slightly greater for Utah adults 65 and over (42.3.0 vs.37.9, x2=2.4; p=.0.6). Conclusions In the past decade, substantial interventions have been launched to promote environmental and policy changes aimed at fostering opportunities for adopting healthier lifestyles. While not unwarranted, it could still be argued that these activities might not be wholly effective without a public recognition that diabetes is a very serious health condition. Therefore, using a pooled sample of non-diagnosed Utah adults drawn from the BRFSS, we examined the likelihood of engaging in a high-risk lifestyle (being both overweight and not exercising) for two comparison groups, namely, those perceiving diabetes as a very serious disease and those perceiving diabetes as not a very serious disease. The analyses were conducted overall and across gender and age categories. Contrary to what might be expected intuitively, those who viewed diabetes as a very serious health condition were actually more, rather than less, likely to engage in high-risk lifestyles than those not viewing diabetes as very serious. The patterning was also observed among both males and females. However, this phenomenon was not found across all age categories. Rather, the pattern was observed for non-diagnosed adults who were young (18-34), but not for middle aged or older adults. Young Utah adults may be getting competing messages. Public service announcements may be effective in sending the message that diabetes is a very serious health condition to the non-diagnosed adults. However, these same young adults may also be more likely to be exposed and receptive to competing messages encouraging unhealthy dietary habits such as fast food consumption. They or their families may also be more likely to be in an acquisition mode for items that promote sedentary lifestyles, e.g., home computers, VCRs, and television sets. Seriousness may be discounted or even disregarded in the face of seemingly more powerful messages and environmental settings facilitating a lifestyle with negative implications for diabetes prevention. Finally, those young adults viewing diabetes as a very serious health condition may feel greater time constraints linked to multiple work, familial, and voluntary association roles. Correspondingly, they place greater Utah's Health: An Annual Review Volume VIII |