Descriptive statistics were performed using SPSS 17.0.
Categorical variables were expressed as percentages and
continuous variables were expressed as mean ± SD. Measured
variable path analysis (MVPA), a form of structural
equation modeling, was used to test the relationships
among self-efficacy, social support and PPC, and their effect
on self-care, and lipid ratios using AMOS 17.0. Simulation
research has shown that with a good model and
multivariate normal data a reasonable sample size is 200
cases [31]. The parameter estimation method was maximum
likelihood. The likelihood ratio χ2 tests are reported,
but model fit was primarily evaluated with the comparative
fit index (CFI), standardized root mean residual
(SRMR) and root mean square error of approximation
(RMSEA) [32]. All of them test how well an estimated
model fits the data structure. A non-significant likelihood
ratio χ2 test suggests that the data fit the model well, while
CFI values exceeding 0.90, SRMR and RMSEA values less
than 0.08 indicate adequate model fit