Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2016

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Bryan, Valerie

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the preferred method of learning about heart disease by adult learners. This research study also investigated if there was a statistically significant difference between race/ethnicity, age, and gender of adult learners and their preferred method of learning preventative heart disease care. This research study further explored the effectiveness of adult education on reducing or preventing serious, life-threatening heart disease, including heart attack. This research is of significant importance as the adult population and age in many developed countries is increasing. It was anticipated that the study would unearth the effectiveness of various educational methods of providing information to adult learners to inform them how to prevent heart attacks. For this quantitative investigation, participants were limited to students enrolled in at least one college course (three credit hours) at the Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton campus who were 25 years of age or older. During the course of this study, three methods of learning; formal, informal, and non-formal, as well as two delivery methods; online and traditional, were evaluated. Over one third of the study’s participants (35%) preferred to receive healthrelated information via email (35%). This major finding was statistically significant (x² (6) = 82.171; p < .001). Further, statistically significant findings were manifest for study participants for omnibus age grouping and in the 25-35 years of age grouping, for those who were White and Hispanic by ethnic background, and for both females and males participating in this study. The results of this research may assist health department administrators in utilizing varying methods for distributing health information, keeping the preferred knowledge acquisition method of students on college and university campuses especially in mind.

Extent

110 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2016.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00004740

Format

pdf

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