[The effect of health education on lung function and quality of life among stabilized patients with chronic pulmonary disease].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effect of health education on lung function and quality of life in stabilized patients with chronic pulmonary disease (COPD).


METHODS
117 stabilized COPD patients were randomly devided into 4 groups with numbers as 31,26, 20 and 40 identified as Groups 1 to 4. Patients in Group 1 did not receive health education, but Groups 2,3 and 4 received one, two, three or more times health education in file. FEV1, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC and SGRQ score were compared pre and 6-month post the health education program.


RESULTS
Health education seemed successful in delaying the decline of FEV1, FEV%, FEV1/FVC and groups 2-4 were superior to group 1(P < 0.05) while groups 3 and 4 were superior to groups 1 or 2(P < 0.05). Health education was effective in raising the SGRQ score among the stabilized COPD patients with groups 2-4 superior to group 1 (P < 0.05) while groups 3 and 4 superior to groups 1 or 2 (P < 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Health education could effectively delay the decline of both lung function and quality of life in stabilized patients with COPD.
Institute for Geriatrics, Guangdong Provincial Hospital, Guangzhou 510080, China.
Lian
L
Chen
Guo-lin
GL
Zhang
Shao-shan
SS
Lin
Lu-min
LM
Yang
Qiu-yu
QY
Qiu
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000502:physiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D020127:Recovery of Function