Self‐efficacy beliefs as key ingredients to healthy and sustainable lifestyles. A five‐year longitudinal study on diet and physical activity habits of newly diagnosed patients with acute coronary syndrome

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases represent a significant cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, and an unhealthy lifestyle notoriously accounts for a large percentage of their risk. Identifying resources to stimulate lifestyle changes is an essential goal of primary and secondary cardiovascular prevention. Self‐efficacy beliefs are among the major psychological factors proven to impact health status and lifestyle. This study aimed to confirm the role of self‐efficacy beliefs by investigating their associations over 5 years of adherence to healthy lifestyles in terms of diet and physical activity in a sample of 275 newly diagnosed patients with acute coronary syndrome. Longitudinal profiles of lifestyles and self‐efficacy beliefs in their improvement were identified through latent class growth analysis. Correlations were then performed to explore the associations between lifestyles and self‐efficacy trajectories. Results showed a positive association between virtuous lifestyle profiles and high self‐efficacy in implementing behavioural change. Finally, two logistic regressions were performed to test the hypothesis that a high self‐efficacy profile would predict better lifestyles 5 years after the coronary event. This hypothesis was confirmed for diet. Overall, current findings confirm the importance of implementing repeated psychological interventions that promote patients' efficacy beliefs in self‐regulating their behaviour changes over time.