Nutritional self-management in chronic diseases: a conceptual analysis.

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Chronic Disease Management
• Health Behavior

Background:

• Increasing global burden of chronic diseases necessitates optimized nutritional self-management.
• Current conceptualization of nutritional self-management lacks clarity and operational standards.
• Effective nutrition management is crucial for mitigating chronic disease progression and improving patient quality of life.

Purpose of the Study:

• To clarify the core definition of nutritional self-management in chronic diseases using conceptual analysis.
• To establish a scientific clinical evaluation framework for nutritional self-management.
• To inform evidence-based intervention strategies for chronic disease nutrition management.

Main Methods:

• Employed Walker and Avant's concept analysis approach.
• Conducted a comprehensive literature search across major databases (PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, Embase) up to 2024.
• Included 52 articles after rigorous screening.

Main Results:

• Defined nutritional self-management by six attributes: dietary adherence, patient-provider partnership, resource utilization, decision-making, role perception, and emotional regulation.
• Identified antecedents including sociodemographic factors, ability, opportunities, and motivation.
• Highlighted consequences impacting individual, family, and societal dimensions, fostering a positive cycle.

Conclusions:

• Developed a systematic conceptual model for nutritional self-management in chronic disease patients.
• Proposed a theoretically-grounded framework for developing assessment tools and guiding clinical research.
• Emphasized the need for contextual adaptation and future multi-center validation studies.