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A Population-Based Survey of Individuals With Heartburn

Susan A. Oliveria, ScD, MPH; Paul J. Christos, MPH, MS; Nicholas J. Talley, MD, PhD; Andrew J. Dannenberg, MD

Arch Intern Med. 1999;159:1592-1598.

Background  Twenty-five million adults experience heartburn daily. To target individuals for prevention programs, characteristics of persons with heartburn and the associated causes of this condition must first be identified.

Methods  We conducted a population-based telephone survey of 2000 individuals with heartburn to describe the cause of the disease, knowledge of risk factors, and prevention strategies.

Results  Lifestyle and work habits, and certain food and beverage consumption, were associated with heartburn. Women reported the onset of heartburn about 5 years later than men. Survey respondents were unaware of the risk factors for heartburn, and sex-dependent differences in knowledge were apparent. Logistic regression modeling identified increasing age, female sex, higher level of education, and frequent vs infrequent heartburn as significant (P<.02) predictors of whether patients told a physician about their heartburn symptoms. Increasing age, higher body mass index, and reduced level of education were significant (P<.02) predictors of frequent vs infrequent heartburn in this study population.

Conclusion  The findings of this study provide a framework for the development of a heartburn prevention program based on lifestyle modification.

From the Strang Cancer Prevention Center (Drs Oliveria and Dannenberg and Mr Christos) and the Departments of Public Health (Dr Oliveria and Mr Christos) and Medicine (Dr Dannenberg), Weill Medical College, Cornell University, New York, NY; and the Department of Medicine, University of Sydney, Nepean Hospital, Sydney, Australia (Dr Talley). Dr Oliveria is now with the Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY.

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