Perceived Health Competence, Risk Knowledge, and Self-Management Behaviors in Adolescents and Young Adults with Congenital Heart Disease
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Date
2016-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Congenital heart disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect worldwide. As medical professionals continue making improvements to treatment methods, the number of surviving adults afflicted with CHD grows. Individuals with CHD are at elevated risk for multiple comorbidities, including arrhythmias, coronary artery disease, and heart failure. To prevent these health issues, adolescents and young adults with CHD are encouraged by healthcare providers to practice self-management behaviors, such as eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and attending follow-up clinic appointments. Self-efficacy and perceived susceptibility, components of the Health Belief Model, have been identified as important constructs for health behavior engagement in other populations. The goal of the current project is to examine the relationship between perceived health competence (PHC; i.e., self-efficacy), risk knowledge (i.e., perceived susceptibility) and self-management behaviors among adolescent and young adult CHD survivors. Participants were recruited from both pediatric and adult outpatient cardiology clinics at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and Ohio State University Medical Center (n=239, 15-39 years olds). Self-report measures included (1) the Perceived Health Competence Scale, (2) Risk Knowledge from the CHD Assessment of Information Measure (3) the Fat Intake Scale (diet), (4) and the Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire (physical activity). Clinic attendance during a five-year period (2010-2015) was determined from medical charts. Participants were considered “adherent” if they attended >89% of their recommended appointments within a 3-month window. Separate linear regressions were utilized to examine the relationships between perceived health competence, risk knowledge, and self-management behaviors. It was hypothesized that both PHC and risk knowledge would contribute unique variance to self-management behaviors. Results indicated that higher PHC was associated with better clinic adherence and more physical activity. Furthermore, individuals with greater risk knowledge consumed lower fat diets and engaged in less physical activity. Results from this study may identify potential targets for educational interventions to increase positive self-management behaviors in the CHD community.
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Keywords
Congenital heart disease, Self-management behaviors, risk knowledge, perceived health competence, adolescents and adults