Background: Healthy lifestyle is the mainstay of improving people’s health. Also, self-care helps increase the quality of life and maintaining independence. This study aimed to determine the relationship between health-promoting lifestyle and self-care behaviors in patients with heart failure.
Methods: In this predictive correlational study, a total of 200 patients with heart failure were selected by stratified proportionate to size sampling method from the patients referred to cardiac clinics of hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences. The study data were collected by the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II (HPLPII) and the European Heart Failure Self-care Behavior (EHFScB) scale. Then, the obtained data were analyzed by ANOVA, the Independent t-test, the Pearson correlation coefficient, and linear regression in SPSS V. 16.
Results: The Mean±SD score of health-promoting lifestyle was 120.83±23.13; which is lower than the median tool score of 130. more than half of the subjects (58.5%) had an average level of self-care behavior, and their Mean±SD score was 34.8±9.03. There was a positive and significant correlation between lifestyle and its dimensions with self-care behaviors (P<0.001). Health responsibility, physical activity, and nutrition were significant in the regression model (P<0.05) and health responsibility was the most effective one in predicting self-care behavior in patients with heart failure.
Conclusion: According to the findings, health-promoting lifestyle and its dimensions have a positive and significant relationship with self-care behaviors of patients with heart failure. It is recommended that health care providers, planners, and nurses, especially those involved in community health nursing, make every effort to empower patients in assuming responsibility for their care.