Associations Between Participants’
Demographic Data and Illness Knowledge,
Self-Care Behaviors, and Quality of Life
Table 1 shows the relationships between patient demographic
attributes and illness knowledge, self-care behaviors, and quality
of life. Being male, being less than 70 years old, having a
higher educational background, having a higher monthly
income level, not needing family to accompany on clinic
visits, and identification asNYHAclass IIwere all associated
with a higher level of illness knowledge. However, self-care
behaviors were not related to demographic attributes or
disease characteristics. In addition, the participants who had
a higher monthly income, lived independently, did not need
family to accompany on clinic visits, and were identified as
NYHA class II showed significantly better quality of life.