LIFESTYLE CHANGES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLNESS AMONG ADULT PATIENTS WITH CORONARY HEART DISEASE AT MATER HOSPITAL IN NAIROBI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

The main aim of the study was to determine lifestyle changes and psychological wellness among patients with coronary heart disease in selected hospitals in Nairobi County Kenya. Four specific objectives guided the research: to assess the lifestyle practices of adult patients with coronary heart disease at Mater Hospital in Nairobi County, to assess psychological wellness among adult patients with coronary heart disease at Mater Hospital in Nairobi County, to establish the relationship between lifestyle changes and psychological wellness among adult patients with coronary heart disease at Mater Hospital in Nairobi County and to determine the coping strategies used by adult patients with coronary heart disease at Mater Hospital in Nairobi County, Kenya. This study was anchored on theory of planned behavior (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980). This study employed a descriptive research design. The study targeted a population of 100 patients with coronary heart disease at Mater Hospital, in Nairobi County. A sample size of 115 participants, (95 patients and 20 nurses) was selected. Data was collected from this sample using standardized questionnaires, Lifestyle appraisal questionnaire (LAQ), and Interview guides. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 24 for descriptive analysis, Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Independent t-test and correlation analysis. The study found that there is a statistically significant positive relationship between lifestyle changes and psychological wellness among patients with coronary heart disease in selected hospitals in Nairobi County Kenya at r=3.00; P value=.000.Therefore, most adult patients with coronary heart disease practiced the indicators of lifestyle practices as many agreed that they had practiced the lifestyle practices to either a moderate degree, a great degree or a very great degree while, the majority of the psychological wellness symptoms, the mean was determined to be over t=4.0; P=.001 meaning that the majority of the respondents experienced the above reactions. The findings imply that, statically there was a significant positive relationship between the lifestyle changes and psychological wellness among patients with coronary heart disease in selected hospitals in Nairobi County Kenya. This study made recommendations to the following stakeholders: the doctors and nurses who are always with patients, the patients and clients who come seeking for health services, Counseling department, the cardiac institutions who offer this services to cardiac patients like Kenyatta Hospital, M-Psha hospital among others and the Ministry of Health in the country who are the beneficiaries of this services.