Table 2.
Comparison of baseline characteristics between usual care and intervention groups (n=52)
| Characteristics | Usual care (n=25) | Intervention (n=27) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex | |||
| Women | 12 (48) | 12 (44) | 0.797 |
| Men | 13 (52) | 15 (56) | |
| Age (years) | 65.5±11.8 | 59.2±8.3 | 0.033 |
| Marital status | |||
| Married/cohabitate | 11 (44) | 12 (44) | 0.974 |
| Single/divorce/widow | 14 (56) | 15 (56) | |
| Education level | |||
| Did not complete high school | 4 (17) | 9 (33) | 0.271 |
| Completed high school | 7 (29) | 4 (15) | |
| At least some college or technical school | 13 (54) | 14 (52) | |
| Ethnicity | |||
| African American | 3 (12) | 7 (25.9) | 0.430 |
| Caucasian | 21 (84) | 18 (66.7) | |
| American Indian or Alaskan Native | 0 | 1 (3.7) | |
| Mixed | 1 (4) | 1 (3.7) | |
| Income perception | |||
| More than enough income to make ends meet | 10 (40) | 10 (37) | 0.482 |
| Enough income to make ends meet | 11 (44) | 9 (33) | |
| Do not have income to make ends meet | 4 (16) | 8 (30) | |
| NYHA class | |||
| Class II | 14 (56) | 11 (41) | 0.271 |
| Class III or IV | 11 (44) | 16 (59) | |
| Employment status | |||
| Employed full-time outside home | 2 (8) | 5 (19) | 0.121 |
| Sick leave/disability/retired due to HF | 16 (64) | 16 (59) | |
| Retired | 7 (28) | 3 (11) | |
| Other | 0 | 3 (11) | |
| Heart failure aetiology | |||
| Ischaemic | 15 (60) | 13 (48) | 0.392 |
| Non-ischaemic | 10 (40) | 14 (52) | |
| LVEF% | 41.6±19.3 | 37.8±20.6 | 0.499 |
| Dietary sodium intake | 3070±1352 | 2880±1489 | 0.645 |
| Attitudes subscale | 30.5±4.3 | 30.7±4.5 | 0.821 |
| Subjective Norm subscale | 16.7±2.3 | 17.5±2.2 | 0.239 |
| Perceived Behavioral Control subscale | 21.5±5.9 | 25.1±7.3 | 0.060 |
Values are n (%) or mean±SD. LVEF, left ventricular ejection fraction; NYHA, New York Heart Association.