Factors Related to Self-Care Behaviors' in Chronic Heart Failure Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study in Western Iran

PurposeSelf-care is recognized as an important element in the comprehensive management of patients with heart failure. The study aimed to explore the correlations of self-care behaviors in chronic heart failure patients in Kermanshah, West Iran.DesignDescriptive and analytical cross-sectional.SettingHospital.SampleThe research population included 597 (246 female and 351 male) patients with chronic heart failure visiting Imam Ali Cardiovascular Hospital in Kermanshah in 2022.MeasuresDemographic information, European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior Scale.AnalysisIndependent-sample t test, ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis in SPSS-24. The significance level was set at 5%.ResultsThe participants' age was 63.04 ± 14.1 years. The mean and standard deviation of the participants' self-care behaviors was 2.91 ± 31.00, and only 20.60% of the patients reported engaging in satisfactory self-care behaviors. Self-care behaviors were significantly related to Income level, ethnicity, family history of background disease, history of co-morbidity, history of addiction, access to medical centers, and not with any other variables.ConclusionBased on the study's results, most participants exhibited moderate self-care behaviors, suggesting that these patients may need preventive educational interventions to acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for effective self-care behaviors. Therefore, it is essential to design and implement a health promotion educational intervention aimed at convincing these patients to make lifestyle changes and adhere to their dietary and medication regimens to improve self-care behaviors.