Influencing Health-Promoting Lifestyles Among Chronic Kidney Disease Patients and Significant Others: A Dyadic Analysis

The influence that significant others in social networks could have on chronic kidney disease patients' health-promoting lifestyles is far-reaching. Although studies have indicated that patients and significant others who have close relationships and share illness appraisals could benefit from communication and cooperation in implementing health-promoting lifestyles, few studies have concentrated on chronic kidney diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of illness appraisal and relationship quality on health-promoting lifestyles among chronic kidney disease patients and their significant others. Ninety-one chronic kidney disease patient-significant other dyads were included. The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, seven-item Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile-II, and World Health Organization Quality of Life-Taiwanese version were used to assess illness appraisal, relationship quality, health-promoting lifestyle, and quality of life in chronic kidney disease patients and their significant others. An actor-partner interdependence model with the use of multilevel modeling was applied for data analysis. The results suggest that patients had more positive views of chronic kidney disease and perceived better relationship quality than significant others did. Patients and significant others with better relationship quality and more positive illness appraisals had higher levels of their own health-promoting lifestyle (actor effect). However, higher levels of relationship quality, as rated by significant others, were found to be associated with poor health-promoting lifestyles in patients. In conclusion, engaging in health-promoting lifestyles requires efforts from patients and their significant others. The influence of relationship quality, as perceived by significant others should be assessed in the context of the scope of care.