Health promotion behaviors and physical dependence in people with clinical diagnosis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

To describe health promotion behaviors and the degree of physical dependence in people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) diagnosed. This study employed a quantitative correlational approach in which a probabilistic sample of 125 people was obtained. A health-promoting lifestyle Profile II Spanish version and the Barthel Index scale were applied. The 68.8% of the participants were females. The most prevailing diagnostic was unspecified COPD 67.2%. As exposition factors several aspects as tobacco use 35.2%, this factor along with the exposition to the biomass smoke were identified at 32.8%. Regarding the health promotion behaviors, there was evidence of a low average in the dimensions related to physical activity and nutrition; a high average in their spiritual growth, in both, men and women. The 92.8% of the sample population were independent regarding basic activities of their daily life. Some statistically meaningful associations were identified in some dimensions of the health-promoting lifestyle Profile II with: age groups, supplementary oxygen use and biomass smoke exposition. At the end of this study, there was indication of unhealthy behaviors in a population who still presented a good level of physical independence despite their clinical diagnosis and the predominant of exposition factors. The analysis of other factors, which predict health promotion behaviors, is imperative.