Background: Self-care helps reduce the frequency of hospitalization and exacerbations, thereby enhancing quality of life (QOL) in heart failure (HF) patients.

Objective: This study aimed to determine if gender differences exist in self-care and QOL in HF patients.

Methods: Using a cross-sectional cohort study, 98 subjects participated in this study. Self-care attributes

were measured using the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index. QOL was measured using a disease-specific

instrument, the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, and a generic instrument, the Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12v2) characterizing physical functioning and mental-emotional functioning. Data

were analyzed by using independent t-tests.

Results: On average the sample were 56.3 _ 13.7 years old and composed of 43.9% female and 56.1%

male. The findings revealed a significant difference in self-care management strategies between males and females (mean = 68.4 _ 18.8 vs. 56.6 _ 19.3 respectively, p = 0.003), and a significant difference in QOL between males and females (mean = 57.4 _ 22.5 vs. 48.2 _ 21.4 respectively, p = 0.045).

Conclusion: The study demonstrated that there were significant gender differences in self-care management,

and QOL, with males reporting more frequent use of self-care strategies and better QOL.