Knowledge attitude and practice of older adults rheumatoid arthritis patients regarding disease management in a cross-sectional study

Bibliographic Data

ID22077789
AuthorsYue Gou (Sichuan University), Xuedan Shi (Sichuan University), Ying Ouyang (0000-0002-1518-9964, West China Medical Center of Sichuan University), Yan Wu (0000-0002-0290-4084, Sichuan University), Rong He (0000-0002-1728-8907, Second People’s Hospital of Yibin), He Rong (0000-0002-5716-2364, Second People’s Hospital of Yibin), Zhi Wan (0000-0002-3124-0125, Sichuan University, corresponding author), Qibing Xie (0000-0002-6727-1839, Sichuan University, corresponding author)
Year2026
Volume14
Pages1763566-1763566
Publication date2026-03-09
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueFrontiers in Public Health (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2296-2565 • E-ISSN: 2296-2565
PublisherFrontiers Media SA (PUBLISHER • CH)
DOI10.3389/fpubh.2026.1763566
PMID41878095
OpenAlexW7134277964
LanguageEN
References cited47

Background This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of older adults patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regarding disease management. Methods This multicenter cross-sectional study enrolled older adults patients with RA between November and December 2024 in Sichuan Province, China. Self-administered questionnaires were utilized to collect demographic information and evaluate KAP scores. Results A total of 488 participants were included in the study, with 72.54% aged 60–69 years and 70.29% female. The mean KAP scores were 10.72 ± 4.68 (possible range: 0–20), 20.11 ± 2.31 (possible range: 6–30), and 25.05 ± 6.10 (possible range: 7–35), respectively. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that knowledge positively correlated with both attitude ( r = 0.1293, p = 0.0042) and practice ( r = 0.5037, p < 0.001), while attitude positively correlated with practice ( r = 0.2066, p < 0.001). The structural equation model showed that knowledge directly affected attitude ( β = −0.56, p < 0.001) and practice ( β = 0.61, p < 0.001), while also indirectly affected practice through attitude mediation ( β = 0.52, p < 0.001). Furthermore, attitude demonstrated a direct effect on practice ( β = −0.93, p < 0.001). Conclusion This study found that older adults patients with RA generally exhibited insufficient knowledge and predominantly negative attitudes toward disease management, although many reported relatively proactive behaviors in managing their condition. Targeted educational interventions are necessary to improve knowledge and attitudes, which may further enhance disease management practices among older adults RA patients

Clinical Practice · Disease · Disease management · Mediation · Psychological intervention · Rheumatoid arthritis · Structural equation modeling · Young adult · Gout, Hyperuricemia, Uric Acid · Health Literacy and Information Accessibility · Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies

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