ObjectiveTo understand the status quo of self-health management in elderly patients with chronic diseases, and analyze its influencing factors to provide data support for local governments and community health units for guiding patients to self-health management so as to improve the quality of life of elderly patients with chronic diseases.

MethodsOne thousand and eighty-eight patients with chronic diseases from 20 communities of 5 cities in Anhui province were investigated using self-designed questionnaire.The general demographic characteristics, specific conditions of chronic diseases, status quo of self-health management, acquiring self-health management knowledge approach and behaviors of self-health management of patients were used to analyze the influencing factors of cognitive level of self-health management knowledge in patients with chronic diseases.

ResultsThere were significant differences in the effects of age, culture level, occupation, income, self-health management time in self-health management situation, health education in health management, knowledge source of health management and paying attention to health management on the knowledge levels of health management in elderly patients with chronic diseases.The results of linear regression showed the above independent variables were positively correlated with the knowledge of self-health management in the elderly.

ConclusionsThe cognitive level of self-health management in the elderly patients with chronic diseases is low.The health education in community medical units should actively be carried out to improve the self-health management behavior of patients with chronic diseases.