Diet quality, Self-efficacy and Health Literacy in Adults with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Objective: Adherence to high quality dietary patterns is associated with lower risk of disease progression and all-cause mortality in chronic kidney disease (CKD). Self-efficacy and health literacy are recognised as factors that may lead to better adherence to high quality diets. However, these associations are not well studied in CKD. This study aims to explore the relationship between health literacy, self-efficacy, and diet quality in CKD.

Methods: Participants with CKD stages 3a-5 recruited from three large tertiary hospitals were assessed using the Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Disease 6-item scale (SEMCD-6), the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ) and the Australian Eating Survey (AES) Food Frequency Questionnaire. Diet quality was measured using the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS). Associations were examined using multivariable linear regression models, adjusted for sex and type 2 diabetes (T2D) diagnosis.

Results: Sixty participants were included in the analysis. Mean age of participants was 74.5 years old and 58% were male. The mean ARFS was poor (Mean=29.9±9.1/73) and characterised by high intake of processed foods and animal protein, and low intake of fruit and vegetables. Mean SEMCD-6 was high (7.12±2.07/10). Self-efficacy and health literacy domains 6 - Actively engage with healthcare providers and 7 - Navigating healthcare system independently predicted diet quality in the adjusted model for sex and T2D.

Conclusion: Adults with CKD report suboptimal diet quality. The results suggest that self-efficacy and aspects of health literacy should be considered when designing interventions aimed at improving diet quality in people with CKD.