{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T10:33:03Z","timestamp":1787567583424,"version":"build-2736575974"},"reference-count":31,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"17","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,22]],"date-time":"2026-08-22T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787356800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nutrients"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Self-care and healthy dietary habits are fundamental components of heart failure (HF) management, yet the relationship between dietary quality and self-care remains insufficiently explored. This study investigated the association between dietary habits and self-care behaviors among patients with HF. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 137 adults with HF attending outpatient clinics in Greece. Self-care behaviors were assessed using the Hippocratic Heart Failure Self-Care Scale (HHFSCS), and dietary quality was evaluated using the validated Greek version of the Cardiovascular Diet Questionnaire-2 (CDQ-2). Associations between demographic characteristics, dietary measures, and self-care were examined using non-parametric tests and multivariable general linear models adjusted for demographic characteristics. Results: The mean HHFSCS score was 41.0 \u00b1 11.3, indicating a moderate level of self-care. Higher scores were observed for medication adherence and appointment keeping, whereas lower scores were observed for exercise, smoking-related behaviors, alcohol-related behaviors, and symptom monitoring. The mean total CDQ-2 score was 8.57 \u00b1 7.17. Overall dietary quality was not significantly associated with total self-care after adjustment for age, sex, marital status, educational level, and employment status (B = \u22120.102, 95% CI: \u22120.338 to 0.134, p = 0.394). Among the dietary components, only the saturated fatty acid (SFA) score remained significantly associated with total self-care after adjustment (p = 0.015), whereas fruit and vegetable and monounsaturated fatty acid scores were not significant. Employment status was also significantly associated with self-care (p &lt; 0.001). Conclusions: Overall dietary quality was not significantly associated with total self-care in this sample of patients with HF. However, the observed association between the SFA component and self-care suggests that specific aspects of dietary behavior may warrant further investigation. Given the cross-sectional design and reliance on self-reported measures, these findings should be interpreted cautiously and do not establish directionality or causality. Prospective studies incorporating objective dietary and behavioral measures are needed to further clarify the relationship between dietary habits and self-care in HF.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nu18172745","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,24]],"date-time":"2026-08-24T09:20:02Z","timestamp":1787563202000},"page":"2745","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Self-Care Behaviors and Dietary Habits Among Patients with Heart Failure: A Cross-Sectional Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Anastasia A.","family":"Chatziefstratiou","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Cardiac Surgery Unit, General Pediatric Hospital of Athens \u201cAgia Sophia\u201d, 11527 Athens, Greece"},{"name":"Laboratory for the Development of Self-Care Skills in Patients with Chronic Diseases, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2169-7746","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Konstantinos","family":"Giakoumidakis","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece"},{"name":"Laboratory of Evidence-Based Healthcare, Education and Clinical Protocols, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8917-4012","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nikolaos V.","family":"Fotos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for the Development of Self-Care Skills in Patients with Chronic Diseases, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece"},{"name":"Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andreas","family":"Christofi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sofia Asimina","family":"Gavathoglou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0892-3200","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Evridiki","family":"Patelarou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece"},{"name":"Laboratory of Evidence-Based Healthcare, Education and Clinical Protocols, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, Hellenic Mediterranean University, 71410 Heraklion, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8597-081X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Hero","family":"Brokalaki","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Laboratory for the Development of Self-Care Skills in Patients with Chronic Diseases, Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece"},{"name":"Department of Nursing, School of Health Sciences, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,22]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"World Health Organization (2026, June 30). 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