Self-Care in Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Multicenter Study.
Daniele Napolitano, Silvia Cilluffo, Valeria Amatucci, Davide Bartoli, Valentina Biagioli, Piergiorgio Martella, A. Monaci, Antonello Cocchieri, Ercole Vellone
Abstract
Introudction: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), encompassing Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC), requires complex self-care behaviors to manage symptoms and maintain quality of life. Despite its importance, self-care in IBD remains poorly understood. This study aims to investigate self-care practices and the sociodemographic and clinical determinants of self-care among patients with IBD. Methods: A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted in nine IBD units in Italy. Patients were enrolled between April and June 2024. Self-care was assessed using the Self-Care of Chronic Illness Inventory, covering self-care maintenance, self-care monitoring, and self-care management. Socio-demographic and clinical data were collected through structured questionnaires. Multiple linear regressions examined the relationships between patient characteristics and self-care dimensions. The N-ECCO Research Grant supported the study. Results: = .005) were positively associated with higher scores. Conclusion: Inflammatory bowel disease patients demonstrated adequate self-care maintenance and monitoring, but their self-care management was suboptimal. Female gender and supplement use were associated with better self-care monitoring; disease activity worsened self-care maintenance. Ulcerative colitis patients had better self-care management than CD, highlighting the need for tailored interventions to improve self-care.