Caress A Dean1, Christian J Geneus2, Shahida Rice3, Marquisha Johns4, Delores Quasie-Woode5, Kevin Broom3, Keith Elder6. 1. School of Health Science, Oakland University, Rochester, USA. Electronic address: caressdean@oakland.edu. 2. Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Tulane University's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, USA. 3. Department of Health Management and Policy, Saint Louis University's College for Public Health and Social Justice, St. Louis, USA. 4. St. Louis Regional Health Commission, St. Louis, USA. 5. Meridian Health, St. Louis, USA. 6. School of Public Health, Samford University College of Health Sciences, Birmingham, USA.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between health information seeking and confidence in performing self-management activities, and to assess the influence of predisposing, enabling, and perceive need factors on confidence to perform self-management activities among adults with chronic conditions. METHODS: The sample included 6724 adults from the 2007 Health Tracking Household Survey who were ≥18 years with a chronic condition. Binary logistic regression examined the relationship between health information seeking, predisposing, enabling, and perceive need factors and confidence in performing three self-management activities; prevent symptoms, tell doctor concerns, and know when to get medical care. RESULTS: Analyses indicated that 63.7% of adults sought health information. Rural residents who sought health information had 50% (95% CI: 0.28-0.89) lower odds of being confident to tell doctor concerns compared to urban residents who did not seek health information. CONCLUSION: The relationship between health information seeking and confidence to perform self-management varies by self-management activity. Rurality, education level, having a usual source of care, and perceived health status strongly predict confidence to perform self-management activities. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Self-management strategies should incorporate health information seeking behavior that will enhance confidence to perform specific self-management activities, and should incorporate predisposing, enabling, and perceive need factors.
OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between health information seeking and confidence in performing self-management activities, and to assess the influence of predisposing, enabling, and perceive need factors on confidence to perform self-management activities among adults with chronic conditions. METHODS: The sample included 6724 adults from the 2007 Health Tracking Household Survey who were ≥18 years with a chronic condition. Binary logistic regression examined the relationship between health information seeking, predisposing, enabling, and perceive need factors and confidence in performing three self-management activities; prevent symptoms, tell doctor concerns, and know when to get medical care. RESULTS: Analyses indicated that 63.7% of adults sought health information. Rural residents who sought health information had 50% (95% CI: 0.28-0.89) lower odds of being confident to tell doctor concerns compared to urban residents who did not seek health information. CONCLUSION: The relationship between health information seeking and confidence to perform self-management varies by self-management activity. Rurality, education level, having a usual source of care, and perceived health status strongly predict confidence to perform self-management activities. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Self-management strategies should incorporate health information seeking behavior that will enhance confidence to perform specific self-management activities, and should incorporate predisposing, enabling, and perceive need factors.