Factors influencing self-management of health behaviors among older adults with chronic kidney disease in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand

The burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and its associated risk factors is expected to rise alongside the rapidly increasing global population of older adults. A new trend in CKD management emphasises the adoption of self-management (SM) approaches. This cross-sectional study aims to investigate the proportion of self-management of health behaviors (SMHB) and identify the factors influencing SMHB among older adults with CKD in Chiang Rai Province, Thailand. The study sample comprised 408 individuals aged ≥ 60 years, selected using a multi-stage sampling method. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews conducted from April to June 2024 and analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient, simple linear regression and multiple regression analysis. The average age of the participants was 70.0 ± 6.7 years, with over one-third (38.5%) reporting CKD stage 2 and 32.4% at stage 1. The findings indicated a good proportion of SMHB (79.4%) among older adults with CKD in Chiang Rai Province, with an average SMHB score of 44.0 ± 12.8. Multiple regression analysis revealed that self-condition management for health promotion (SCMHP), maintaining self-care for health (MSCH), participation in social health activities (PSHA), health literacy related to self-care practices (HLSCP) and occupation were significant predictors of SMHB. Collectively, these factors explained over half of the variance in SMHB levels (R² = 0.619, p < 0.05). Consequently, the study suggests that promoting sustainable SMHB among older adults with CKD should be a healthcare priority for precautionary prevention.