Objective: To determine whether patients modify their risk factors after undergoing percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA).
Design: One-group, pretest-posttest. Pretest data were collected on the day before PTCA, and posttest data were collected at a mean follow-up of 11 months after PTCA. Data were collected from medical records and by patient self-report.
Setting: University-affiliated, metropolitan public and private hospitals.
Patients: Two hundred nine patients undergoing PTCA.
Outcome measures: Patients' smoking and exercise habits were assessed by self-report. Serum cholesterol level and body mass index were determined from entries in medical charts.
Results: All measured risk factors, with the exception of smoking, underwent favorable change (p < 0.001) after PTCA. The number of current smokers, however, increased significantly (p < 0.001), as did the number of cigarettes these patients smoked per day (p < 0.05).
Conclusion: Evaluation of the effect of intervention strategies on reducing patients' smoking behavior after PTCA is required.