Do health literacy and self-care behaviours affect quality of life in older persons with lung cancer receiving chemotherapy?

AIM: This study aimed at identifying the factors associated with health literacy, self-care behaviours, and quality of life among older persons with lung cancer receiving chemotherapy.

METHODS: This was a descriptive study. A total of 80 older persons with lung cancer receiving chemotherapy participated in this study. Data were collected from July 21 to November 3, 2016 in Korea. The Short Form of the Korean Functional Health Literacy Test, the Self-Care Behaviours Scale, and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy Scale-Lung were used to measure functional health literacy, self-care behaviours, and quality of life, respectively. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were conducted to analyse the data.

RESULTS: In the each regression model for the general and disease-related quality of life, performance status, self-care behaviours, and prior lines of treatment were identified as a predictor. However, functional health literacy was found to be a predictor only of disease-related quality of life. Among these predictors, self-care behaviours had the greatest impact.

CONCLUSION: Health care providers should be aware of the effects of health literacy and self-care behaviours on health-related quality of life and consider the factors associated with quality of life when they take care of older persons with lung cancer receiving chemotherapy.