• Ulla Mikkonen, Nina Tusa, Sanna Sinikallio, Hannu Kautiainen, and Pekka Mäntyselkä.
• Institute of Public Health and Clinical Nutrition, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.
• Fam Pract. 2024 Dec 2; 41 (6): 970976970-976.

BackgroundSelf-care is crucial in the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases. It is important to identify patients who need support with self-care.ObjectivesThis study introduces a self-care preparedness index (SCPI) and examines its associations with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and other outcomes.MethodsA cross-sectional study of adults (n = 301) with hypertension, coronary artery disease, or diabetes in primary health care. Based on the self-care questionnaire, SCPI was formed. A higher SCPI value indicated better self-care preparedness. We examined correlations and a hypothesis of linearity between SCPI and HRQoL (15D), depressive symptoms (BDI), patient activation (PAM), and health-related outcomes (self-rated health, life satisfaction, physical activity, body mass index [BMI], waist, low-density lipoprotein). Exploratory factor analysis was used to test the construct validity of SCPI.ResultsA total of 293 patients with a mean age of 68 (54.3% women) were included in the analysis. BDI, BMI, and waist had a negative linear trend with SCPI. Self-rated health, physical activity, patient activity, and life satisfaction had a positive linear trend with SCPI. SCPI correlated with HRQoL (r = 0.31 [95% CI: 0.20 to 0.41]). Exploratory factor analysis of the SCPI scores revealed 3 factors explaining 82% of the total variance.ConclusionsSCPI seems to identify individuals with different levels of preparedness in self-care. This provides means for health care providers to individualize the levels of support and counselling. SCPI seems to be a promising tool in primary health care but needs further validation before use in large scale trials or clinical practice.© The Author(s) 2023. Published by Oxford University Press.

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