Self‐Care Behaviours and Associated Factors in Older Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions: A Cross‐Sectional Study

AIMS: To describe self-care behaviours and explore factors associated with self-care behaviours in older adults with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs). BACKGROUND: The prevalence of MCCs is increasing in a rising trend. MCCs complicate the self-care behaviours of older adults. There is limited evidence regarding the factors associated with self-care behaviours in older adults with MCCs. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design was adopted using the convenience sampling method. METHODS: Participants were recruited from a community health service centre. Measurements included the Self-Care of Chronic Illness Inventory, a single item for loneliness, the 6-item Lubben Social Network Scale, the 4-item Patient Health Questionnaire, the 15-item Tilburg Frailty Indicator, and a self-developed questionnaire for sociodemographic and disease-related characteristics. Descriptive statistics were used as appropriate. Multiple linear regression and multivariate logistic regression were adopted to examine the influencing factors. RESULTS: A total of 223 participants were enrolled in this study. Among the 223 participants, 49.3%, 32.7% and 28.7% achieved a cut-off score of ≥ 70 in self-care maintenance, monitoring and management, respectively. The linear regression models indicated that smoking status, frailty and self-care confidence were significantly associated with self-care maintenance; education level, per capita monthly household income and self-care confidence were significantly associated with self-care monitoring; and employment status and self-care confidence were significantly associated with self-care management. In addition, multivariate logistic regression showed that living in cities or towns was significantly associated with higher odds of adequate self-care management. CONCLUSION: Three domains of self-care behaviours were influenced by distinct factors, and self-care confidence demonstrated consistent associations with all three domains of self-care behaviours. Self-efficacy-focused interventions may have the potential to promote self-care behaviours in older adults with MCCs. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE: Healthcare providers need to take into account the pivotal factors influencing self-care behaviours of this cohort to deliver structured and effective education and support. Clinicians should consider adopting confidence-building strategies in routine education for this cohort. REPORTING METHOD: We adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: No patient or public contribution.