Illness perceptions in relation to self-management behaviour among elderly patients with COPD: A cross-sectional...

Area of Science:

• Geriatric Medicine
• Pulmonology
• Health Psychology

Background:

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a progressive respiratory disease affecting elderly populations.
• Effective self-management is crucial for managing COPD, yet often remains suboptimal in older adults.
• Understanding the relationship between how patients perceive their illness and their self-management behaviors is vital for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the current status of self-management behaviors in elderly COPD patients.
• To evaluate illness perceptions among this patient group.
• To investigate the correlation between illness perceptions and self-management behaviors in elderly COPD patients.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 152 elderly patients diagnosed with COPD.
• Utilized the COPD Self-Management Scale and the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire for COPD patients.
• Employed Pearson correlation, univariate, and hierarchical linear regression analyses to explore relationships.

Main Results:

• Overall self-management behavior score was 2.90 ± 0.39, with information management being the lowest subscale score (2.20 ± 0.76).
• Demographic and clinical factors like education, smoking status, caregiver type, oxygen therapy, and COPD duration significantly influenced self-management.
• Illness perception subscales (treatment control, personal control, coherence, timeline cyclical, identity) showed significant correlations with self-management behaviors after controlling for covariates.

Conclusions:

• Self-management behaviors in elderly COPD patients are currently unsatisfactory.
• Illness perceptions are significant determinants of self-management behaviors in this population.
• Findings support the development of tailored self-management interventions for elderly COPD patients, focusing on illness perceptions.