Patient activation levels in cardiovascular disease: a cross-sectional study in Brazilian community pharmacies

Preventable cardiovascular diseases are among the leading causes of death in individuals aged < 70 years in Brazil.

This study assessed the level of patient activation among individuals with cardiovascular disease in Brazilian community pharmacies.

This cross-sectional study included 348 Brazilian participants diagnosed with hypercholesterolemia and/or hypertension.

The Patient Activation Measure (PAM-13) questionnaire was used. In addition, sociodemographic and clinical variables were collected, including coronary risk evaluation and quality of life assessment. Student's t-test was used to compare baseline quantitative variables between groups, and the chi-square test was used to assess associations for categorical variables. Pearson's correlation was used to examine the relationships among the quality of life, clinical variables, sociodemographic data, and activation levels.

Participants had an average age of 59.0 ± 16.7 years and a low to moderate risk. The mean patient activation level was 2.8 out of 4, with high self-care responsibility and treatment adherence but lower confidence in maintaining lifestyle changes. Factors linked to lower activity included low physical activity (P < 0.001), multiple chronic conditions (P = 0.003), smoking (P = 0.016), age > 65 years (P = 0.033), low quality of life (P < 0.001), and high CVR (P < 0.001).

Patient activation in cardiovascular care in the Brazilian population is positively affected by lifestyle factors, particularly physical activity. Intervention strategies that promote lifestyle changes can enhance patient activity and improve health outcomes in this population.