Knowledge attitude and practice of older adults rheumatoid arthritis patients regarding disease management in a cross-sectional study

Background This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of older adults patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) regarding disease management. Methods This multicenter cross-sectional study enrolled older adults patients with RA between November and December 2024 in Sichuan Province, China. Self-administered questionnaires were utilized to collect demographic information and evaluate KAP scores. Results A total of 488 participants were included in the study, with 72.54% aged 60–69 years and 70.29% female. The mean KAP scores were 10.72 ± 4.68 (possible range: 0–20), 20.11 ± 2.31 (possible range: 6–30), and 25.05 ± 6.10 (possible range: 7–35), respectively. Spearman correlation analysis revealed that knowledge positively correlated with both attitude ( r = 0.1293, p = 0.0042) and practice ( r = 0.5037, p < 0.001), while attitude positively correlated with practice ( r = 0.2066, p < 0.001). The structural equation model showed that knowledge directly affected attitude ( β = −0.56, p < 0.001) and practice ( β = 0.61, p < 0.001), while also indirectly affected practice through attitude mediation ( β = 0.52, p < 0.001). Furthermore, attitude demonstrated a direct effect on practice ( β = −0.93, p < 0.001). Conclusion This study found that older adults patients with RA generally exhibited insufficient knowledge and predominantly negative attitudes toward disease management, although many reported relatively proactive behaviors in managing their condition. Targeted educational interventions are necessary to improve knowledge and attitudes, which may further enhance disease management practices among older adults RA patients.