Self-Care Behavior Based on Knowledge of Patients with Hypertension: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Adequate self-care behavior is an important factor in controlling hypertension to reduce the number of complications. A patient's knowledge about hypertension can influence their self-care behavior in practice. Purpose: The aim of this study was to identify self-care behaviors among hypertension patients based on their knowledge. Patients and Methods: This descriptive correlational study was conducted on patients with hypertension in primary care. The sample was selected using purposive sampling, with a one-month data collection period yielding 115 samples. The Hypertension Self-Care Profile instrument was used to assess self-care behavior while the Knowledge on Hypertension instrument was utilized to evaluate knowledge. The characteristics variable was analyzed using descriptive statistics, while the correlation between self-care behavior and knowledge was evaluated using spearman rank correlation. Results: Most participants had favorable attitudes towards self-care (53%), and they had adequate knowledge about hypertension (53.9%). Patients with favorable behavior and adequate knowledge were 52.5%, while patients with unfavorable behavior and inadequate knowledge were 63.0%. This study found no significant association between self-care behavior and knowledge (p = 0.099, r = 0.155). Conclusion: Despite most participants demonstrated favorable attitudes and adequate knowledge regarding hypertension self-care, a significant association between these variables was not identified. This suggests that knowledge alone may not be a sufficient predictor of self-care behavior in this population and further research is required to understand the complex factors influencing self-care adherence and develop effective interventions to improve patient outcomes.