Ready for change
’ diseases, death, CVD
CVD, DISEASE, SAID
Experiences of disease (one’s own or others’) and retirement affected readiness for change. Others’ diseases together with the risk message opened up for thoughts such as ‘it could happen to me’ and motivated lifestyle modification.I have a childhood friend who died shortly after 60, and then it felt like: No, I want to see my grand children grow up, I want to hang around. […] My boss, she died when she was 61 and I was 60 at that time. So that had just happened [before joining the VIPVIZA study] but, as I said, it becomes a driving force for oneself. (Woman, informant 13)Experiencing death from CVD in the family could strongly affect readiness for change. After receiving her first ultrasound result, one informant described her view regarding possibilities to affect the risk for CVD as:
My thoughts were that I want to try as much as I can to influence my health so that I don’t get those plaques. I thought that if I can at least stay on this level, then maybe I don’t have to get as sick as for example my father. (Woman, informant 10)You get the opportunity to steer you own life so to speak, and do whatever you yourself find interesting. And I resumed my old hobby as an amateur musician at that time [when he retired] I think that that in itself also can contribute to improvement, actually. At least an improvement of quality of life, I don’t know if it affects the vessels, but at least it affects onés well-being. (Man, informant 16)