Abstract 11819: Self-Care Adherence and Related Factors in Koreans With Heart Failure

Introduction: Self-care is pivotal in managing heart failure (HF). However, patients’ adherence to self-care and associated factors are not fully understood in Koreans with HF. The aim of this secondary analysis was to assess the level of adherence to self-care and to identify associated factors in patients with HF. Methods: We analyzed baseline data from 122 HF patients (mean age 66.22 [SD 13.58] years; 50.8% female) enrolled in a randomized controlled trial. To determine adherence to self-care behaviors, the proportion of patients answering “completely agree” or “agree” to each item in the European self-care behavior scale (EHFScBS) was calculated. Based on the situation-specific theory of HF self-care, we investigated the effects of person-related factors (i.e., age, sex, socioeconomic status, health literacy, and self-efficacy), problem factors (i.e., multimorbidity, physical functioning, and depression), environmental factor (i.e., social support), and knowledge on adequate self-care (EHFScBS score ≥ 70) using logistic regression analyses. Results: The mean EHFScBS score was 58.29 (SD 19.23), and 34 patients (27.9%) reported adequate self-care. The adherence rate was lowest for fluid restriction (25.4%) and low salt diet (36.1%). Self-care confidence, depressive symptoms, and social support were significantly associated with adequate self-care in univariate analyses (Table 1). After adjusting for other factors, higher levels of self-care confidence (adjusted odds ratio 1.03, p =.004) and lower levels of depressive symptoms (adjusted odds ratio 0.89, p =.03) were significant factors for adequate self-care. Conclusions: Efforts are needed to help patients with HF to engage in self-care practice. Self-care interventions should focus on promoting self-care confidence and reducing depressive symptoms in patients with HF. Routine assessment of self-care confidence and depressive symptoms may help clinicians to identify high-risk patients.