A Study of Self-efficacy in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease and Its Predictors

Enhancement of empowerment in patients with coronary artery disease has a major role in the promotion of their health behaviors. Promotion of self-efficacy is a one of the ways for improving this skill, which has a significant impact on improving patients’ condition and on preventing complications and readmission. The objective of this study was to determine the predictors of general, exercise, and diet behavior self-efficacies in coronary artery disease patients. In this cross-sectional study, 195 patients with coronary artery disease referred to the Heart Clinic of Educational Treatment Center of Dr Heshmat Hospital in Rasht, were selected through convenient sampling and were surveyed through questionnaires about illness perception, general self-efficacy, exercise self-efficacy and diet behavior self-efficacy. The Chi 2 test was used to examine the relations between variables, and the multiple logistic regression test was used to determine the predictors. In this study, 74.9% of samples had desirable general self-efficacy, 86.2% had desirable diet self-efficacy, and 28.2% had desirable exercise self-efficacy. In addition, variables such as age, sex, diagnosis of heart disease, and illness perception were predictors of general self-efficacy. Occupational status and illness perception variables were the predictors of exercise self-efficacy; and the predictor of diet self-efficacy was illness perception. Considering the results of this research, it seems that more precise plannings are needed for the promotion of exercise self-efficacy in coronary artery disease patients.