Table 2.

Patient Beliefs About Statin Use and Safety by Statin Use Status

Patient beliefs	Current Statin Therapy	Discontinued Statin Therapy	P Value vs Current	Declined Statin Therapy	P Value vs Current	Never Offered Statin Therapy	P Value vs Current
Cardiovascular risk
I worry that I may have a heart attack or stroke.
Occasionally or often	1515 (38.9)	221 (50.7)	<0.0001	53 (35.1)	0.35	278 (35.5)	0.08
My risk of heart attack or stroke compared with others of my age/sex.
Slightly higher or much worse	1520 (37.0)	172 (37.7)	0.77	49 (32.5)	0.25	201 (24.3)	<0.0001
People with high cholesterol are more likely to have heart attack or stroke.
Agree/strongly agree	3147 (85.8)	320 (78.8)	0.0002	109 (82.0)	0.22	607 (83.8)	0.18
Statin beliefs
Statins are effective.
Agree/strongly agree	2957 (86.3)	233 (69.1)	<0.0001	66 (67.4)	<0.0001	379 (74.9)	<0.0001
Statins are safe.
Agree/strongly agree	2221 (70.4)	123 (37.4)	<0.0001	38 (36.9)	<0.0001	237 (53.4)	<0.0001
Statin risks
Statins can cause diabetes mellitus.
Agree/strongly agree	261 (13.0)	39 (17.6)	0.060	16 (24.6)	0.007	43 (15.6)	0.24
Statins can cause muscle aches or pain.
Agree/strongly agree	1638 (61.1)	263 (76.0)	<0.0001	58 (64.4)	0.52	162 (50.6)	0.0003
Statins can cause liver damage.
Agree/strongly agree	1220 (54.7)	162 (61.1)	0.047	44 (56.4)	0.77	145 (47.4)	0.016
Statins can cause memory loss.
Agree/strongly agree	536 (27.1)	65 (29.4)	0.46	20 (29.4)	0.67	45 (17.7)	0.001

Missing data were more common for never statin users for all belief questions regarding statins (Table S2). Data are shown as n (%).