Pasientkurs ga personer med sykelig overvekt ökt mestringsforventning og selvfölelse
Sammanfattning
Persons with morbid obesity had increased self-efficacy and self-esteem after patient education
Background: Patient education providing positive results with regard to persons’ coping with chronic
illness is important to decrease the demand on health care services. Methods aimed at
strengthening the person’s self-perception may be an important supplement to medical treatment.
Objective: To explore changes in self-efficacy and self-esteem one year after completing patient
education.
Method: Participants in patient courses for morbid obese persons at three different sites answered 12
questionnaires five times in 2009. This article presents results from questionnaires on self-efficacy
and self-esteem completed on the first day of the course and 12 months after course completion.
Results: From 185 course participants, 142 returned questionnaires the first day of the course and 67
completed it after one year. Mean age was 43.3, 75% female; 64% had less than 12 years of
education; no statistically significant differences were found between women and men. The
participants had increased scores on self-efficacy and self-esteem after one year. The results were
both statistically and clinically significant.
Conclusion: Courses providing basic knowledge about the illness and methods to strengthen
perception of self may contribute to improved self-efficacy and self-esteem. The results are in
accordance with international research on coping with illness.