Improvement in Unhealthy Behaviors Among Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease Receiving Integrated Care at Community Hospitals in Thailand.

Abstract

Purpose: Unhealthy behaviors can accelerate the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a community-based integrated care program in modifying key unhealthy behaviors among CKD patients in rural Thailand and to assess the impact of these behaviors on the rate of kidney function decline.

Patients and methods: This is a post-hoc analysis of the ESCORT-2 trial, which is a 3-year prospective cohort study that enrolled 914 patients with CKD stages 3-4 in rural Thailand. Participants received an integrated care program involving hospital-based multidisciplinary teams and home-based community care networks. Seven unhealthy behaviors were assessed annually: usage of herbal medicines, analgesics, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs); being overweight; lack of regular exercise; moderate-to-high salt intake; and high protein intake. Data were collected through patient interviews and standardized questionnaires. Changes in the prevalence of these behaviors were analyzed over three years, and the association between persistent unhealthy behaviors and the rate of eGFR decline was examined.

Results: Over the 3-year study period, the integrated care program led to significant and sustained reductions in the use of herbal medicines (23.3% to 5.0%), analgesics (34.9% to 7.8%), and NSAIDs (4.3% to 1.3%) (all p<0.0001). Moderate-to-high salt intake also significantly decreased (22.1% to 14.1%, p<0.0001). However, no significant improvement was observed in the prevalence of overweight or high protein intake. While individual persistent unhealthy behaviors did not significantly correlate with the rate of estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) decline, patients with a baseline accumulation of three or more unhealthy behaviors exhibited a significantly faster eGFR decline compared to those with fewer unhealthy behaviors (-2.04 vs -1.02 mL/min/1.73 m², p<0.001).

Conclusion: An integrated care model implemented in a primary care setting can effectively reduce medication- and dietary-related unhealthy behaviors in CKD patients. However, fostering sustained improvements in complex lifestyle behaviors such as weight control and regular exercise remains a significant challenge.