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Background: Adherence to treatment is essential to prevent the progression of coronary heart disease (CHD), which is the most common cause of death among women. Coronary heart disease in women has special characteristics: the conventional risk factors are more harmful to women than men, accumulation of risk factors is common, and women have nontraditional risk factors such as gestational diabetes and preeclampsia. In addition, worse outcomes, higher incidence of death, and complications after percutaneous coronary intervention have been reported more often among females than among male patients. Objective: The aim of this study was to test a model of adherence to treatment among female patients with CHD after a percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods: Across-sectional, descriptive, and explanatory survey was conducted in 2013 with 416 patients with CHD, of which the 102 female patients were included in this substudy. Self-reported instruments were used to assess female patient adherence to treatment. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a structural equation model. Results: Motivation was the strongest predictor for female patients' perceived adherence to treatment. Informational support, physician support, perceived health, and physical activity were indirectly, but significantly, associated with perceived adherence to treatment via motivation. Furthermore, physical activity was positively associated with perceived health, whereas anxiety and depression were negatively associated with it. Conclusions: Secondary prevention programs and patient education have to take into account individual or unique differences. It is important to pay attention to issues that are known to contribute to motivation rather than to reply on education alone to improve adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Perceived health (PH) has become an important outcome measure among coronary heart disease (CHD) patients. Poor PH has been shown to predict morbidity and mortality among CHD patients. Objective: The objective of this paper was to examine CHD patients’ PH after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study (n = 416) was conducted across five hospitals in Finland during 2013. A self-report questionnaire of PH was used, which comprises EuroQoL five-dimensional scale (EQ-5D-5L), EuroQoL visual analog scale (EQ-VAS), and 18 background variables. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate methods. Results: Female gender, previous PCI, physical inactivity and slight vegetable consumption were associated with reduced PH among post-PCI patients. Seventy percent of the sample reported problems in some PH dimension. Conclusions: Post-PCI patients should be encouraged to pursue a healthy lifestyle, which seems to have a beneficial effect on PH. Females, elderly, or those demonstrating lower education, physical inactivity, slight vegetable consumption, longer duration of CHD, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or previous invasive treatment should be afforded special attention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]