Given the large number of patients at high risk of vascular events, new strategies are needed to reduce vascular risk. Sol and coworkers investigated whether self-efficacy promotion could change self-efficacy levels in patients with vascular diseases, and whether baseline self-efficacy and changes in self-efficacy were related to changes in vascular risk factors. One hundred fifty-three recently referred patients with symptomatic vascular diseases (cerebrovascular, abdominal, or peripheral arterial) participated in a randomized trial that investigated the effect of nursing care, as compared with usual care, on vascular risk factors. Nursing care consisted of self-efficacy promotion and medical treatment of vascular risk factors. Self-efficacy and vascular risk factors (smoking, BMI, waist, blood pressure, lipid, and glucose levels) were measured at baseline and after 1 year. While total self-efficacy did not change over the 1-year intervention period in either treatment group, self-efficacy in choosing healthy foods and in doing extra exercise significantly increased in the intervention group. No relation was seen between baseline total self-efficacy, change in composite self-efficacy, and change in vascular risk factors.

WHAT THE STUDY MAY MEAN TO YOU: The nursing intervention did not influence total self-efficacy, but did improve self-efficacy in choosing healthy food and doing extra exercise. Change in composite self-efficacy was not related to change in vascular risk factors in patients at high risk of developing (new) cardiovascular diseases. The authors concluded that increasing self-efficacy in choosing healthy food and doing extra exercise could be incorporated in vascular risk reduction programs in addition to medical treatment of vascular risk factors. The development and application of a systematic self-management program could further increase the success of increasing self-efficacy in patients with vascular disease.

BG Sol et al. The role of self-efficacy in vascular risk factor management: A randomized controlled trial. Patient Education & Counseling, January 31, 2008.