Predicting self-care behaviors among older adults coping with arthritis: a cross-sectional and 1-year longitudinal comparative analysis.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this investigation is to examine correlates and predictors of self-care activities for persons diagnosed with arthritis both cross-sectionally and longitudinally.


METHODS
Data from telephone surveys conducted with 313 older (M = 68.8, SD = 8.93) individuals, chosen from a larger sample, who reported professionally diagnosed arthritis, were used.


RESULTS
A total of 10 of the 11 self-care activities changed significantly during the 1-year interval, with 9 showing increased participation. Results from hierarchical regressions showed that all three blocks of predictors explained significant portions of variance, with gender and perceived importance of general health significantly predicting self-care activities at Time 1, at Time 2, and longitudinally.


CONCLUSIONS
These results highlight the influence of demographic, health status, and health belief variables on self-care both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Future work should focus on the mediating effects of these and other variables to better understand the processes by which individuals engage in self-care behavior.
McDonald-Miszczak
Leslie
L
Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA, USA.
Wister
Andrew V
AV
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D001168:Arthritis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002170:Canada; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012648:Self Care