title: Self-management among patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in China and its association with sociodemographic and clinical variables.
abstract: This study aimed to examine the status of self-management in patients with COPD and its associations with sociodemographic and clinical variables.
  
  
  
  This cross-sectional study included 154 patients with COPD (mean age, 73 years) at four hospitals in Tianjin, China. The COPD Self-Management Scale was used to describe the level of self-management, and its associations with sociodemographic and clinical variables were examined with multiple regression analysis.
  
  
  
  More than half of the patients with COPD had a low (30%) or moderate (27%) level of self-management. Self-management was rated highest in management of daily life and lowest in information management. Higher physical activity, higher salary, and lower age affected self-management the most positively.
  
  
  
  The overall burden of COPD in China is greater than that found in other countries. Healthcare professionals need to improve their understanding of the importance of self-management and specifically focus on increased physical activity targeting patients with poor literacy skills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Box 1026, Jönköping, SE 551 11, Sweden; School of Nursing, Tianjin Medical University, No. 22 Qixiang Road, Heping District, Tianjin 300070, China. Electronic address: wanglan0423@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Lan
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Box 1026, Jönköping, SE 551 11, Sweden.
authors.forename: Annette
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nygårdh
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Tianjin Medical University, No. 22 Qixiang Road, Heping District, Tianjin 300070, China.
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.affiliation: Department of Nursing, School of Health and Welfare, Jönköping University, Box 1026, Jönköping, SE 551 11, Sweden.
authors.forename: Jan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mårtensson
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D002681:China; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000628:therapy*; D012648:Self Care
keywords: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Clinical variables; Self-management; Sociodemographic variables