Background The WHO defines self-care as 'the ability of individuals, families and communities to promote health, prevent disease, maintain health and cope with illness and disability with or without the support of a healthcare provider', while self-care confidence refers to an individual's perceived ability to effectively engage in these activities. The interface between health and care professionals (HCPs) and the public is pivotal in promoting self-care behaviours, yet barriers such as health literacy deficits, professional constraints, misconceptions and disparities in self-care confidence persist.
Objective This study aimed to explore how self-care confidence, professional support and health literacy interact to influence self-care behaviours among UK adults. Design Cross-sectional online survey.
Setting Community-based national study of adults across primary care and community care settings in the UK. Participants Community-dwelling UK adults aged 18 years and above, including HCPs, were recruited from June to September 2024 via social media, online research participant recruitment platforms and professional networks.
Participants provided demographic information including age, gender, ethnicity, employment, education, disability status and UK region.
BMJ Open published a clinical update in Research Highlights on 24 Jun 2026.
The item focuses on What is the interplay between self-care confidence, professional support and health literacy among UK adults?
A cross-sectional online survey study.
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