Predictors of adherence to self-care behaviors among patients with coronary heart disease

Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) was responsible for 7.4 million deaths globally. Self-care is an integral element of standard medical management for CHD. The aims of this study were: (1) to describe self-care maintenance, self-care monitoring, self-care management, and self-care confidence among patients with CHD patients; and (2) to identify predictors of self-care maintenance, self-care monitoring, self-care management, and self-care confidence in Jordanian CHD patients.

 A descriptive cross-sectional design was used. A sample of 193 patients with CHD was interviewed. Self-care behaviors were measured by the Self-Care Coronary Heart Disease Index (SC-CHDI). Anxiety and depression were assessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HAD), and social support was assessed using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS).

The mean age of the participants was 60.4 years (SD=10.61). 139 (72%) of the participants were males. Female patients were significantly worse than male patients in self-care management (P=0.045) and self-care confidence (P=0.014). Significant predictors for better self-care maintenance were older age and higher self-care confidence. The prediction model explained 17.6% of the variance in self-care maintenance (F= 4.188, P=. <001). The significant predictors for self-care confidence were self-care maintenance, self-care management, and BMI. The prediction model explained 29% of the variance in the self-care confidence (F= 7. 137, P=. <001).

The study revealed that self-care maintenance was adequate while self-care management and self-care confidence were suboptimal. Older age, higher educational level, and better self-care confidence were predictors of higher self-care maintenance.