Factors associated with self-management behaviors of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

To examine self-management behaviors level and discuss the associated factors among chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients.

A descriptive study design was used. A convenience sample of 124 COPD patients was recruited from three hospitals in Fuzhou. Self-management Behaviors, Social Support Rating Scale and The Family APGAR Score were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Pearson correlation and multiple linear regression were used for data analysis.

The overall score of self-management behaviors ranged 4-41, with a mean score of 21.26 ± 7.72. Pearson correlation analyses and ANOVA revealed that age, course of disease, education, marital status, family function, subjective support, objective support, and availability of support were positively correlated with overall self-management behaviors (p < .05). Multiple linear regression analyses revealed that subjective support and availability of support significantly predicted self-management behaviors.

The level of self-management behaviors of COPD patients was suboptimal. We suggest that people in the patients' social network should provide support for them, and help them use available resources to improve the level of self-management behaviors.