Work

Self-management behaviors in patients with H-type hypertension: a latent profile analysis within the health ecological model

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Background: H-type hypertension confers a substantially greater risk of stroke than elevated blood pressure or homocysteine alone. Beyond stroke, hyperhomocysteinemia is implicated in endothelial dysfunction, vascular oxidative stress, arterial stiffening, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and progression of chronic kidney disease. Self-management is an effective secondary prevention strategy for H-type hypertension, yet research on self-management behaviors in these patients remains limited and has mostly adopted a variable-centered approach. Objective: The study aimed to explore the current status and latent profiles of self-management behaviors among patients with H-type hypertension, and to examine the factors associated with profile membership within the health ecological model. Method: Convenience sampling was used to recruit 310 patients from a tertiary hospital in eastern China. Data were collected using a general information questionnaire and standardized instruments assessing hypertension self-management behaviors, eHealth literacy, perceived social support, perceived stress, hospital anxiety and depression, and resilience. Mplus 8.3 and SPSS 26.0 were used to identify latent profiles and the correlates of profile membership. Results: The mean standardized self-management behavior score was 67.34 ± 13.82. Four latent profiles of self-management behaviors were identified: Low self-management pattern (18.4%), Moderate self-management-treatment monitoring pattern (21.0%), Moderate self-management-lifestyle pattern (19.0%), and High self-management pattern (41.6%). Profile membership was significantly associated with the presence of comorbidity, eHealth literacy, and social support. Conclusions: Self-management behaviors among patients with H-type hypertension were at a moderate level and showed substantial heterogeneity, with four distinct profiles. Individualized strategies tailored to the characteristics of each profile, targeting potentially modifiable correlates such as eHealth literacy and perceived social support, may be worth developing and evaluating prospectively in order to enhance patients' self-management behaviors.

Source: Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine

DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2026.1903891