Impact of health belief on self-efficacy for postoperative rehabilitation management in lung cancer patients: the Chain mediating role of respiratory exercise compliance and symptom burden

Abstract

Background Self-efficacy for postoperative rehabilitation management is the key to rapid recovery after lung cancer surgery. Identification of protective and risk factors is a prerequisite for programs to enhance self-efficacy. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between health belief and self-efficacy for postoperative rehabilitation management, and to further elucidate the mechanisms by which health belief improve patients' self-efficacy for postoperative rehabilitation management by enhancing pulmonary exercises compliance and reducing self-perceived symptom burden. Methods A total of 231 patients who underwent lung cancer resection from March 2023 to August 2023 were conveniently selected and investigated using the general information questionnaire, MD-Anderson Symptom Inventory, Pulmonary exercises compliance questionnaire, Champion’s health belief model scale, and Self-efficacy scale for postoperative rehabilitation management of lung cancer. The mediating roles of pulmonary exercise compliance and symptom burden in the relationship between health belief and self-efficacy for postoperative rehabilitation management were analyzed by structural equation modeling using IBM AMOS 22.0. Results Patient pulmonary exercise compliance (β = 0.59, p < 0.05) had a direct effect on self-efficacy for postoperative rehabilitation management, while pulmonary exercise compliance negatively affected self-perceived symptom burden (β=-0.22, p < 0.05) and symptom burden negatively affected self-efficacy for postoperative rehabilitation management (β=- 0.12, p < 0.05), and health belief indirectly influenced self-efficacy for postoperative rehabilitation management through the interlocking mediating effects of pulmonary exercise compliance and symptom burden. Conclusions Pulmonary exercise compliance and self-perceived symptom burden chain-mediated between health belief and self-efficacy for postoperative rehabilitation management, and health belief can influence symptom burden and self-efficacy for postoperative rehabilitation management through pulmonary exercise compliance.