Depression and anxiety symptoms are associated with reduced dietary adherence in heart failure patients treated with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
BACKGROUND
Heart failure (HF) patients treated with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) are a growing patient population for whom the general treatment guidelines for HF still apply. Dietary recommendations, sodium and fluid restriction and daily weight monitoring, are a critical component of HF self-management. However, HF patients often report poor adherence to these recommendations. Studies that have investigated factors associated with poor diet adherence have focused on knowledge and beliefs. The current study extends previous research by examining the impact of psychosocial factors (depression, anxiety, and social support) on adherence to dietary recommendations in this growing subgroup of HF patients.


METHODS
Eighty-eight HF patients, with a mean age of 70 years, treated with an ICD (77% male) completed questionnaires assessing depression and anxiety symptoms, social support, and dietary adherence.


RESULTS
Most patients reported following dietary recommendations in the past week most of the time (63%), whereas only 16% of patients reported following dietary recommendations all of the time. Greater depression and anxiety symptoms were associated with poorer dietary adherence, whereas social support did not predict reported dietary adherence.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that many HF patients treated with an ICD do not comply with dietary recommendations. Depression and anxiety symptoms were found to be associated with worse dietary adherence, whereas social support was not related to adherence. Further research is needed to understand the role of social support in dietary adherence in HF patients.
Luyster
Faith S
FS
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261, USA. luysterfs@upmc.edu
Hughes
Joel W
JW
Gunstad
John
J
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable / Q000523:psychology; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D004039:Diet, Sodium-Restricted / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012648:Self Care / Q000523:psychology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires