Level and Predictors of Self-Care Behaviors (SCB) Among Educated and Uneducated Patients with Heart Failure (HF) in Pakistan

Purpose:

Self-care among heart failure patients is found to be affected by several factors including education as one of the most significant predictor. Prior studies on self-care, from western countries have revealed that higher the education better is the self-care. But the level of self-care and its predictors are yet un explored in developing countries like Pakistan. Therefore, this study aimed to compare the level of self-care and its associated factors among educated and uneducated HF patients of a country which has lowest literacy rates.

Methods:

230 HF patients (115 educated and 115 uneducated) were recruited in the study. Their level of self care behaviors and its associated factors were assessed using European heart failure self-care behavior scale (EHFSCBs). via a cross sectional survey.

Results:

The overall level of Self-care behavior was significantly higher among educated HFpatients as compared to their uneducated counterparts (p=0.005). However, income was significantly associated with better self-care among educated patients (p=0.001) whereas, chronicity of HF diagnosis appeared as strong predictor of self care among the uneducated HF patients (p=0.024).

Conclusion:

The results of the study imply that continuous supportive-educative interventions by the health care providers may enhance the experiential learning and level of self-care among the uneducated population with heart failure.