Factors Predicting Self-Care Behaviors among low health literacy hypertensive patients based on Health Belief Model in Bushehr district, south of Iran

Background: Hypertension is an important worldwide public-health challenge, which can lead to very serious consequences. The most important strategy for controlling blood pressure and maintaining it in the optimal range is patient compliance with self-care behaviors. The aim of this study was to determine the factors influencing adherence to self-care behaviors among low health literacy hypertensive patients based on health belief model. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 152 hypertensive patients with low health literacy during July and August 2017. Patients with limited health literacy were identified by S-TOFHLA questionnaires. The data were collected using H-scale for assessing self-care behaviors and, HK-LS for assessing knowledge of hypertension. A researcher made questionnaire was applied for collecting data of health belief model constructs. Data were analyzed by SPSS version 22 with using multiple logistic regression analyses. Results: The mean (±SD) age of participants was 56.86(8.7). The best compliance with self-care behaviors was related to lack of alcohol (78.9%) and tobacco use (55.9%), and the lowest was related to low salt diet (5.3%) and proper use of drugs (9.2%). Perceived self-efficacy was associated with all self-care behaviors except medication regimens. There was a significant association between perceived susceptibility about hypertension complications and adherence to both low-salt diet (OR = 3.47) and non-smoking Behavior (OR = 1.10). Individuals who had more perceived severity (OR = 1.82), had significantly greater adherence to their medication regimens compared to those who had less perceived severity. Perceived benefits and barriers were not significantly associated with either type of hypertension self-care behaviors. Conclusion: It seems that designing and implementation of educational programs to increase self-efficacy of patients and promote their beliefs about perceived susceptibility and severity of complications, may be usefulness of the results in order to improve self-care behaviors among low health literacy hypertensive patients.