Patient Activation among Community-Dwelling Persons Living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background Vigilant self-management is associated with positive health outcomes in people living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), yet the predictors of activated self-managers are not well understood. Objectives The aims of the study were to identify and describe the predictors of patient activation among a sample of community-dwelling adults with COPD in the United States. Methods A postal survey of demographic, mood, symptom, function, health perception, life quality measures, and the patient activation measure was completed by 64 participants. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to examine and describe associations between personal characteristics, health outcomes, and patient activation measure scores (0-100). Multivariate, linear regression analysis was conducted to identify predictors of patient activation score. Results Patient activation was high among the sample. Multivariate analysis revealed positive affect, smoking pack-years, overall quality of life, and female gender collectively explained 45.4% of the variance in patient activation. Discussion Positive life view, gender, and lifestyle factors present novel predictors of high activation in self-managers of COPD that warrant explication through future research.