Self-care practices and associated factors in people with Hansen’s disease in Primary Care

Abstract

Objective:  to analyze self-care practices and associated factors in people with Hansen’s disease in Primary Health Care. Method:  a cross-sectional study was conducted in Basic Health Units with 133 cases of Hansen’s disease. The instrument “Attitude and Practice of Self-Care in Leprosy - face, hands and feet” was used. The chi-square and/or Fisher’s exact test, with Yates correction, was used to analyze the association between variables. Logistic regression was applied to analyze self-care practices, with Odds Ratio and respective confidence intervals. Results:  males predominated (54.1%), who were 20 to 59 years old (62.4%), married (60.9%), and income of one to two minimum wages (48.9%). The attitude towards self-care was positive (98.5%). Among the participants, only 4.5% performed self-care practices related to the face, hands (12.8%) and feet (5.3%). Having plantar or palmar ulcers and neuritis was associated with a reduced likelihood of unsatisfactory self-care. Conclusion:  the attitude towards self-care was positive in the vast majority of participants, showing dissonance with self-care practices, which were predominantly unsatisfactory. Self-care in Hansen’s disease is essential for the prevention of sequelae and requires that healthcare professionals develop continuous guidance and monitoring, aiming at improving quality of life.