Long Term Conditions & Self Care

Long Term Conditions

Health improvement is intrinsically linked with long term conditions work, not just in terms of progression from risk factors to established disease, but also in acknowledgement that for those with a long term condition it is even more important that risk factors are effectively addressed. Diabetes is a good example, in that the requirement for insulin can be reversed by weight loss to a healthy weight, and stopping smoking and having a normal blood pressure vastly reduce the risk of developing heart disease and other conditions.

Reducing behavioural risk factors has been termed 'health behaviour change', and this applies to other aspects of care, such as adherence to/ concordance with prescribed medication.

See the following page for Long Term Health Conditions in Forth Valley:

• Long Term Health Conditions 

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Self Care

Health improvement and long term conditions work come together through self care, in that it is the individual in their environment who has the greatest power to bring about change. That is not to say that responsibility lies solely with the individual. There is a wide range of input possible from a range of contributors to any one individuals care, such that self care may be better termed, person-centred collaborative care.

See the following paper for a framework of Self Care: 

• Self-Care: A Framework - December 2007 (PDF 27 kb - 4 pages)

See also, various NHS Forth Valley resources:

• The Self Care Toolkit (PDF 852 kb - 28 pages)
• Self Care Toolkit - My Support Plan (PDF 454 kb - 12 pages)

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Please note that NHS Forth Valley Public Health Directorate takes no responsibility for the accuracy or quality of external websites linked to from this page. If you have a query, please contact the Health Improvement & Health Inequalities Team.