Predictors of quality of life in primary caregivers of patients with heart failure: A model of health literacy and caregiving burden

Background: Heart Failure (HF) is a chronic disease that impairs patients' ability to care for themselves. The accumulation of caregiving activities by caregivers to patients creates stress.

Objectives: This study intends to investigate the mediating role of caregiving burden in the relationship between health literacy and quality of life of caregivers.

Methods: This study is a cross-sectional research conducted through a questionnaire survey. A convenience sampling method was employed to select 410 primary caregivers for the study.

Results: The overall mean score for quality of life for caregivers of patients with HF was (49.30±9.64). The results showed that the caregiving burden mediated the relationship between health literacy and quality of life, with the mediating effect accounting for 39.04 % (P < 0.05) of the total effect.

Conclusion: Caregiving burden is a mediating variable in the relationship between health literacy and quality of life. Therefore, we offer some recommendations for healthcare professionals: ①We suggest that healthcare professionals provide relevant education and training to caregivers, as this can enhance their knowledge and skills in effectively managing the health condition of patients;②Healthcare professionals can also proactively assess the caregiver's burden level and design personalized support plans based on the assessment results.