Table 1.
Baseline patient characteristics (in percentages, unless stated otherwise).
| Characteristic | Total (n = 459) | Low self-care (n = 231) | High self-care (n = 228) | Test statistic | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||||
| Female gender | 27% (124) | 27% (63) | 27% (61) | 0.02 | 0.90 |
| Age in years, mean (SD) | 66.1 (10.5) | 66.4 (10.8) | 65.9 (10.3) | 0.29 | 0.59 |
| Low education | 34% (157) | 42% (97) | 26% (60) | 13.04 | <0.001 |
| Living with partner | 72% (330) | 69% (157) | 76% (173) | 3.05 | 0.08 |
| Clinical characteristics | |||||
| NYHA class III/IV | 39% (179) | 39% (90) | 39% (89) | 0.00 | 0.98 |
| LVEF, mean % (SD) | 31.0 (6.9) | 30.9 (6.8) | 31.1 (7.0) | 0.12 | 0.73 |
| Ischaemic aetiology | 55% (251) | 59% (136) | 50% (115) | 4.48 | 0.34 |
| Cardiac history | 58% (266) | 63% (145) | 53% (121) | 4.43 | 0.04 |
| Implanted ICD | 6% (28) | 4% (9) | 8% (19) | 3.94 | 0.05 |
| Implanted pacemaker | 12% (53) | 9% (21) | 14% (32) | 2.81 | 0.09 |
| CCI score, mean (SD) | 2.9 (1.6) | 3.0 (1.7) | 2.7 (1.5) | 3.32 | 0.07 |
| Cardiac rehabilitation | 9% (43) | 9% (20) | 10% (23) | 0.25 | 0.62 |
| Health behaviour characteristics | |||||
| BMI, mean (SD) | 28.0 (5.5) | 28.6 (6.0) | 27.4 (4.8) | 5.56 | 0.02 |
| Physically active | 56% (255) | 45% (102) | 67% (153) | 23.14 | <0.001 |
| Smoking | 24% (110) | 27% (62) | 21% (48) | 2.27 | 0.13 |
| Medication | |||||
| Aspirin | 40% (185) | 43% (100) | 37% (85) | 1.72 | 0.19 |
| β-blocker | 69% (318) | 66% (152) | 73% (166) | 2.44 | 0.12 |
| ACEi/ARB | 85% (390) | 81% (186) | 90% (204) | 7.20 | 0.007 |
| Diuretics | |||||
| Loop diuretic | 70% (323) | 65% (150) | 76% (173) | 6.59 | 0.01 |
| Thiazide | 5% (23) | 5% (12) | 5% (11) | 0.03 | 0.86 |
| Aldosterone receptor antagonist | 22% (102) | 23% (53) | 22% (49) | 0.12 | 0.73 |
| Other potassium saving | 5% (21) | 3% (7) | 6% (14) | 2.54 | 0.11 |
| Psychological characteristics | |||||
| Depression, mean (SD) | 9.0 (6.8) | 10.1 (7.3) | 7.9 (6.1) | 12.8 | <0.001 |
| Anxiety, mean (SD) | 1.4 (1.8) | 1.7 (1.0) | 1.2 (1.6) | 8.27 | 0.004 |
| Type D personality | 20% (89) | 23% (52) | 16% (37) | 3.06 | 0.08 |
| Psychosocial counselling | 7% (33) | 8% (19) | 6% (14) | 0.79 | 0.37 |
| Psychotropic medication | 13% (61) | 13% (30) | 14% (31) | 0.04 | 0.85 |
Bold: significant at p < 0.05.
ACEi: angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor; ARB: angiotensin receptor blocker; BMI: body mass index; CCI: Charlson Comorbidity Index; ICD: implanted cardioverter defibrillator; LVEF: left ventricular ejection fraction; NYHA: New York Heart Association.