The Effect of Lifestyle Education on the Quality of Life of Patients with Ischemic Heart Disease

Introduction: Ischemic heart diseases are the most important cause of death worldwide, which affect the quality of life of affected patients. In Iran, ischemic heart diseases are the first cause of death in people aged over 35 years. The main goal of this study is to investigate the effect of lifestyle education on the quality of life of patients with ischemic heart diseases. Method: This semi-experimental study was conducted using a pre-test and post-test design and with experimental and control groups. The statistical population included all patients with ischemic heart disease hospitalized in the CCU of Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS) Rafsanjan Hospital in 2019. The sample size of 30 people in each group was determined. A three-part questionnaire (demographic information, France and Powers quality of life questionnaire and Minnesota questionnaire) was used to collect information. First, both experimental and control groups completed the mentioned questionnaires as a pre-test, then the experimental group was educated with five 45-minute sessions, and after two weeks, a post-test was taken from both groups again using the same questionnaires. The collected data were analyzed by SPSS software version 21. Independent T, paired T, and Chi-square statistical tests, Pearson's correlation coefficient and covariance analysis were used. Results: The mean age of the samples was 59.73±12.81 years and the average duration of coronary disease was 1953.38±2598.50 days. The results showed that the increase in scores related to the general state of quality of life after education was significant and indicated the improvement of the condition of the experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed that interventional efforts are important and necessary in order to improve the quality of life in patients with ischemic heart disease. In order to improve the quality of life and ultimately control heart disease, it is recommended to use the educational program designed and used in this study as a model.