Perceptions, beliefs and behaviors of nutritional and supplementary practices in inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

Purpose To gain insight into the behaviors, perceptions and beliefs of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients nutritional and supplementary practices and also to explore perceptions and behaviors in relation to anti-inflammatory supplementation with specific emphasis on Montmorency tart cherries. Methods 80 IBD patients completed a 16-item close-ended questionnaire which was divided into three sub-sections: baseline/demographic characteristics, disease characteristics and dietary and supplementary perceptions, beliefs and behaviors. One-sample chi-square goodness of fit tests were used for each question and two-way Pearson chi-square tests of independence were used to undertake bivariate cross-tabulation comparisons to test differences in responses to each question between baseline/demographic variables. Results The majority of participants (N = 40) did not follow a specific dietary pattern or use supplements (N = 56). Respondents also predominantly rated that diet can both positively (N = 66) and negatively (N = 68) influence IBD. In addition, participants rated that supplements can positively influence IBD (N = 65) and that lack of scientific evidence was the primary mechanism preventing them from utilizing supplements (N = 34). Finally, patients also strongly reported that they would be willing to take Montmorency tart cherry supplementation (N = 73). Conclusions The disconnect between behavior and beliefs in both diet and supplementary practices, indicate that interventions designed to translate beliefs/knowledge into behaviors are warranted. There is also a necessity to undertake well-designed intervention trials examining the efficacy of food supplements, and with patient’s willingness to take Montmorency tart cherry, there is a strong rationale for future randomized trials examining the efficacy of tart cherry supplementation in IBD.

Health Benefits of Montmorency Tart Cherry Juice Supplementation in Adults with Mild to Moderate Ulcerative Colitis: A Protocol for a Placebo Randomized Controlled Trial

“…There are no placebo-controlled, randomized trials examining the efficacy of Montmorency tart cherry in patients with UC. Our research [31] has revealed a strong willingness to take Montmorency tart cherry supplementation in patients with UC, demonstrating a high-level of patient engagement for a randomized clinical trial involving Montmorency Methods Protoc. 2023, 6, 76 3 of 10 tart cherry supplementation.…”

Perceptions, behaviours and barriers towards exercise practices in inflammatory bowel disease

“…This facilitated the identification of relevant topics and development of questions and response options. In accordance with our previous questionnaire-based analyses, four research and clinical experts in the field of IBD reviewed the survey and provided feedback to improve its face validity [40,42]. Two of the aforementioned experts and one of the authors of the paper importantly have lived experience of IBD.…”

“…questions 7, 15 and 16 (as shown in S3 Appendix), for those who did so, a single 'combination' category was created. One-sample chisquare (X 2 ) goodness of fit tests were employed for all questions in the exercise perceptions, beliefs, and behaviours section, as well as the questions related to smoking behaviour, alcohol consumption, and current medication [40]. These tests were used to compare the proportions of participants who selected each response option.…”

“…In addition, two-way Pearson chi-square tests of independence were used to perform bivariate comparisons. Specifically, these tests were conducted to assess differences in responses to each question based on baseline/demographic variables, gender, age, specific IBD condition and disease activity [40]. For the sake of brevity, only the two-way Pearson chi-square tests of independence that yielded statistically significant results were presented in the results.…”

“…Pharmaceutical intervention is the primary IBD management approach [12], yet these therapies often require continuous use [27], come with significant side effects [38], and exhibit low adherence rates [39]. Seeking alternative treatments is increasingly common [40], with up to 56% of patients exploring complementary modalities [41]. Prescribing exercise as an adjunct therapy could enhance health-related quality of life for IBD patients at a lower economic cost.…”