Loading...
Trajectories of self-care confidence and maintenance in adults with heart failure: a latent class growth analysis
Pancani, Luca Ausili, Davide Greco, Andrea Vellone, Ercole Riegel, Barbara
Pancani, Luca
Ausili, Davide
Greco, Andrea
Vellone, Ercole
Riegel, Barbara
Abstract
Purpose
Heart failure (HF) affects up to 14% of the elderly population and its prevalence is increasing. Self-care is fundamental to living successfully with this syndrome, but little is known about how self-care evolves over time. The present study aimed to (a) identify longitudinal trajectories of self-care confidence and maintenance among HF patients, (b) investigate whether each trajectory is characterized by specific sociodemographic and clinical patients’ characteristics, and (c) assess the association between the self-care confidence and maintenance trajectories.
Method
We conducted a prospective descriptive study of 225 HF patients followed for 6 months with data collected at baseline and 3 and 6 months. Latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was used to identify longitudinal trajectories. ANOVA and contingency tables were used to characterize trajectories and investigate their association.
Results
Three self-care confidence (persistently poor, increasingly adequate, and increasingly optimal) and three self-care maintenance (persistently poor, borderline but improving, and increasingly good) trajectories were identified. Married individuals were less likely to be in the persistently poor trajectory of self-care confidence. Patients with persistently poor self-care maintenance took fewer medications than patients with one of the better self-care maintenance trajectories. The two sets of trajectories were significantly and meaningfully associated.
Conclusion
Patients in a poor self-care trajectory (confidence or maintenance) are at high risk to stay there without improving over time. These results can be used to develop tailored and potentially more effective health care interventions.
Keywords
Heart failure, Self-care confidence, Self-care maintenance, Longitudinal trajectories, Latent class growth analysis, Treatment adherence
Date
2018
Type
Journal article
Journal
International Journal of Behavioral Medicine
Book
Volume
25
Issue
4
Page Range
399-409
Article Number
ACU Department
Mary MacKillop Institute for Health Research
Faculty of Health Sciences
Faculty of Health Sciences
Collections
Relation URI
Source URL
Event URL
Open Access Status
License
File Access
Controlled