Beliefs, Experiences, and Openness Regarding Dietary Interventions: Data From an Urban Hispanic Population With Rheumatic Disease in the US

Abstract

Objective: To obtain descriptive data on the beliefs, behaviors, and openness regarding dietary changes for rheumatic diseases in an urban US Hispanic patient population with rheumatic disease as foundational data for future intervention design. Methods: We distributed a voluntary survey to our primarily Hispanic population at an outpatient rheumatology clinic for 19 weeks. This survey queried individuals’ behaviors as they related to dietary intake used for the treatment of rheumatic disease, perceptions of the effect of food groups on rheumatic disease activity, barriers to physician-recommended diets, and willingness to try future interventions. We used descriptive statistics and Pearson's chi-square test to evaluate associations. Results: More than 40% of survey respondents from our primarily (88%) Hispanic population noted a link between what they ate and their underlying rheumatic disease activity. More than one-third of patients had, at some point, modified dietary intake to affect their rheumatic disease. Vegetables, fruit, and white meats were commonly reported to improve disease, while red meat and processed foods were reported to worsen disease. Barriers to following a prespecified diet included cost and lack of knowledge. More than 70% of respondents indicated willingness to attempt certain eating patterns should it help their underlying rheumatic disease. Conclusion: In this primarily Hispanic rheumatic disease patient population, many have not only noted a correlation between dietary intake and rheumatic disease activity but are also open to future nutrition-related interventions. As this population experiences poor rheumatic disease outcomes and a high rate of lifestyle-related comorbidities, an intervention to optimize healthy eating patterns would likely be beneficial as well as acceptable.