Family support and self-care behavior of Chinese chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.

A descriptive correlation study was conducted at the outpatient pulmonary clinic of a large medical center to describe family support and self-care behavior and to ascertain the relationship of these two variables among Chinese chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients. A total of 98 COPD patients completed the questionnaires providing demographic data and information about perceived family support and self-care behavior. Results showed that most subjects perceived that they had received a high level of family support, and the majority of the subjects perceived that they had initiated an adequate amount of self-care behavior. A slightly statistically significant positive relationship between family support and self-care behavior was ascertained.