Impact of Nutrition Education on Nutritional Status and Quality of Life of Hemodialysis patients

Abstract

Abstract
Background:Hemodialysis is the most common treatment for patients with End Stage
Renal Disease, it has negative impacts on the patient’s nutritional status and quality of life.
This study aimed to assess the impact of nutrition education interventions on the nutritional
status and quality of life of haemodialysis patients.
Methodology: It was a single-blind, randomized controlled trial conducted on 70
hemodialysis patients from the Dialysis Unit of the Tertiary Care, Mahatma Gandhi
MissionHospital. The patients were randomly divided into two groups of 35 each: control
and experimental. Nutrition education was given to the experimental group for three
months.Data on anthropometric measurements, biochemical parameters, dietary intakes,
and the quality of life of patients were collected before and after intervention.
Results: Before intervention, no significant difference was found between the two groups
for anthropometric, biochemical parameters except for albumin and phosphorus, nutrient
intakes and quality of life. After intervention, the levels of uric acid, Blood Urea Nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium were significantly lower in the experimental group than in the
control group. The selection of food items after intervention changed considerably, which
signifies the impact of nutritional education on behavioural change. An overall poor quality
of life was observed among the patients, with a highly significant increase only in the
physical aspect of life in the experimental group after intervention.
Conclusion: The study concludes that a multicomponent nutritional education can help to
improve the nutritional status by promoting a healthy behavioural change among
haemodialysis patients with adequate nutritional knowledge.
Keywords: Hemodialysis, nutrient intakes, nutrition education intervention, quality of life,
nutritional status