Factors associated with Patient Activation for Self-management among Community Residents with Osteoarthritis in Korea

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to survey patient activation for self-management and to identify factors associated with patient activation for self-management among community residents with osteoarthritis in Korea. Methods: Cross-sectional study design was used. Survey data were collected from 270 community residents with osteoarthritis through direct interviews. Studied factors included patient activation, joint pain, physical function, depression, and general characteristics. Data were analyzed using chi-squared test, t-test and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The participants' mean score of patient activation was $56.0{\pm}16.61$. The mean score of each factor was $10.6{\pm}5.89$ for joint pain, $5.5{\pm}3.56$ for physical function, and $19.3{\pm}10.01$ for depression. The patient activation level was significantly associated with depression and general characteristics such as education, religion, comorbid hypertension, and use of medical clinics (p<.05). Conclusion: The findings suggest that depression, education, religion, comorbid hypertension, and use of medical clinics may be important factors to be considered when developing programs of patient activation for self-management. This is the first study that measured patient activation, and further studies are suggested to find factors associated with patient activation for self-management among community residents with other chronic diseases.