Influencing factors for dietary behaviors of patients with diabetic nephropathy

The aim of this study was to clarify the factors influencing the dietary behavior of patients with diabetic nephropathy. One hundred twenty-two patients with type 2 diabetes were recruited from the outpatients of Okayama University Hospital in Okayama, Japan. We performed a cross-sectional study using a questionnaire including 206 items among 18 categories as follows: background factors, coping behavior (coping scale), degree of uncertainty in illness (uncertainty scale), and dietary behavior. The data were analyzed by correlation analysis, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis. We found that those patients with microalbuminuria alone tended to recognize more mild about their kidney status than those with macroalbuminuria and chronic renal failure. We also found that common factors influencing the dietary behavior of diabetic patients with and without nephropathy are as follows: 1. coping with the problem (beta = 0.342, p < 0.01); 2. anxiety about prognosis (beta = -0.344, p < 0.01); 3. sex (beta = -0.234, p < 0.05); 4. uncertainty regarding treatment (beta = 0.377, p < 0.01); 5. negative coping (beta = -0.354, p< 0.01); and 6. employment status (beta = 0.367, p < 0.01). Coping and uncertainty in illness had a significant relation to positive support and lack of support. To maintain appropriate dietary behavior in diabetic patients, medical staff need to determine what the social supports are important for the patient, and also to ensure good communication among healthcare personnel as well as positive support for patients and families.