Predictors of Self-Management Behaviors for Children with Thalassemia

Abstract

           The purposes of this prediction research were to study self-management behaviors and examine predictors of self-management behaviors of children with thalassemia. The participants were 88 school-aged children with thalassemia who came to receive care at thalassemia clinic and in-patient department in Chon Buri hospital. School-aged children who met the study inclusion criteria were recruited to participate in the study. Research instruments were 3 self-administration questionnaires: 1) health literacy, 2) medical adherence, and 3) self-management behaviors for children with thalassemia. There reliabilities were 0.93, 0.94 and 0.82 respectively. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistic, Pearson’s product moment correlation and multiple regression.
           The results revealed that mean score of the overall self-management behaviors were at a moderate level. ( = 143.8, SD = 13.30). Considering each dimension, mean average of medical management and role management were at a moderate level. Only psychosocial management was at a high level. Medical adherence and health literacy together accounted for 17.4 % of the variance in self-management behaviors (p-value < 0.001). The strongest predictor was medical adherence (β = 0.297, p-value = 0.004) , followed by health literacy (β = 0.292, p-value = 0.005). These findings suggest a tailored intervention program should increasing medical adherence and health literacy to improve self-management behaviors for children with thalassemia.