Prediction Model for Self-Care Behaviors among Iranian Elders with Chronic Heart Failure

Background: Heart failure has been recognized as a major cause of hospitalization, morbidity, and increasing healthcare costs. The purpose of this study was to determine causal relationships between the factors predicting self-care in Iranian elders with chronic heart failure. Methods: In the present study, 334 elderly people (194 females and 140 males), with chronic heart failure (CHF), completed questionnaires that covered the areas of psychosocial characteristics including; age, gender, education, income, location, living arrangement, depression, social support, age-related characteristics including cognition, attitudes toward aging, functional status, hearing impairment, visual impairment, poly-pharmacy, Charlson comorbidity index, clinical characteristics including; sodium serum level, systolic BP, ejection fraction, severity of disease, sleep disorders, prior experiences, and self-care behaviors. The relationships between variables were tested under the SEM technique using AMOS version 20. Results: The collected data was found to not fit with the initial model, however, after modification, the final model fitness was confirmed. Age-related characteristics had no effect on self-care behaviors (r = -0.3; P = 0.221). Social factors had both direct and indirect negative effects on self-care (r = -0.37; P = 0.016) through age-related factors (r = -0.19; P = 0.016). Prior experiences had a direct positive effect on self-care (r = 0.23; P = 0.018). Conclusions: Developing programs to improve social conditions and designing the educational model based on older adults’ preferences seems necessary.