Perceived health competence predicts health behavior and health-related quality of life in patients with cardiovascular disease.
Justin M Bachmann, Kathryn M Goggins, Samuel K Nwosu and 3 others
PMID 27450479WHAT IT FOUND
In cardiovascular patients, higher perceived health competence was associated with healthier behaviors and better quality of life at admission and after discharge.
Low scores were associated with lower quality of life after discharge.
Key findings
01Higher perceived health competence was associated with better self-reported health behavior and better health-related quality of life at admission and 90 days after discharge.
02For health behavior, a two-point rise in the competence score from its median of 8 was associated with an expected change of 0.48 on the 0 to 12 health behavior index.
03For quality of life 90 days after discharge, the association was strongest at lower competence scores and flat above the median score of 8.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
This is an observational cohort, so it shows association, not that perceived health competence caused better behavior or quality of life. Patients were from one academic medical center and were mostly White, male, and married, so results may not apply to other groups. The perceived health competence measure was shortened to two items, and the paper did not compare it directly with the full eight-item scale or test-retest reliability in this sample. Health behavior and quality of life were self-reported, and the health behavior index was built for this study rather than being a standard outcome. Patients with severe cognitive impairment or inability to communicate in English were excluded, so it says little about those patients.
Declared interests
The paper is described as supported by NIH and U.S. Public Health Service research funds. No author conflicts of interest are stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these associations as proof that raising perceived health competence will improve health behaviors or quality of life. This was a cohort study, and the paper did not test an intervention.