Lifestyle and quality of life in long-term cardiac transplant recipients.
BACKGROUND
The purposes of this study were to describe long-term (>1 year) cardiac transplant recipients' perceptions of barriers to health-promoting behaviors; ability to manage their health, health-promoting lifestyle, health status and quality of life (QOL); and determine predictors of QOL.


METHODS
Data were collected from 93 recipients who completed a self-report questionnaire incorporating: (1). patient characteristics; (2). barriers to health promotion, perceived health competence and health-promoting lifestyle; (3). perceived health status; and (4). QOL. All instruments used had acceptable reliability and validity. Objective measures of health status were retrieved from medical records. Data were analyzed using descriptive and comparative statistics, measures of association and multiple regression.


RESULTS
Recipients were uncertain about their ability to manage their health; felt that barriers sometimes interfered with engaging in health-promoting behaviors; and often included health-promoting behaviors in their lifestyle. They rated their health as good and were moderately satisfied with life. Predictors of better perceptions of QOL included less education, longer time since transplant, ischemic etiology of heart failure, fewer barriers, higher perceived health competence and a health-promoting lifestyle (R(2) = 0.51; F = 14.77; p = 0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The present results provide information regarding factors that contribute to perceptions of quality of life after cardiac transplantation, have implications for identifying patients at risk for poor QOL, and sensitize clinicians to the need for ongoing patient education.
Salyer
Jeanne
J
Adult Health Nursing, School of Nursing, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia 23298-0567, USA. jsalyer@hsc.vcu.edu
Flattery
Maureen P
MP
Joyner
Pamela L
PL
Elswick
Ronald K
RK
D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006304:Health Status; D016027:Heart Transplantation / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013997:Time Factors