Effect of patient navigation on enrollment in cardiac rehabilitation.
lute rates of adverse behaviors were low, such as HIV risk behaviors, most Americans adhere to public health recommendations, and the lack of difference between HCWs and other Americans is reassuring. Perhaps most surprisingly, female HCWs older than 50 years were less likely to adhere to the guidelines of having a mammogram within the past 2 years. Other studies have also observed this paradoxical, unexplained finding. Among respondents who were not college graduates, HCWs were more likely to have a personal physician than non-HCWs, an association absent among graduates. If confirmed, working in health care may improve access preferentially among individuals at greatest risk for not having a regular provider. Specific limitations should be mentioned. The BRFSS is limited to self-reported information, which cannot be externally confirmed. Because HCWs did not report their specific positions, we cannot differentiate between physicians, nurses, aides, and other HCWs. In conclusion, HCWs adhered variably to healthy life choices, often no differently and, for mammography, even less than other Americans. Interventions directed toward HCWs or their employers may improve overall adherence rates. Despite serving as role models, HCWs frequently do not “practice what they preach.”