Self-care and quality of life in patients with heart failure: do gender differences exist?

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine if gender differences exist in self-care and QOL in HF patients. Material and Methods: Using a cross-sectional cohort study, 98 subjects participated in this study. Self-care attributes were measured using the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index. QOL was measured using a disease-specific instrument, the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, and a generic instrument, the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12v2) characterizing physical functioning and mental-emotional functioning. Data were analyzed by using independent t-tests. Results: On average the sample were 56.3±13.7 years old and composed of 43.9% female and 56.1% male. The findings revealed a significant difference in self-care management strategies between males and females (mean = 68.4±18.8 vs. 56.6±19.3 respectively, p = 0.003), and a significant difference in QOL between males and females (mean = 57.4±22.5 vs. 48.2±21.4 respectively, p = 0.045). Conclusion: The study demonstrated that there were significant gender differences in self-care management, and QOL, with males reporting more frequent use of self-care strategies and better QOL.

Keywords

• gender differences
• heart failure
• quality of life
• self-care