Quality of Life of Hemodialysis Patients in Greece: Associations with Socio-Economic, Anthropometric and Nutritional Factors

Ioanna Floria, Ioanna Kontele, Maria G. Grammatikopoulou, Theodoros N. Sergentanis and Tonia Vassilakou ()
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Ioanna Floria: Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
Ioanna Kontele: Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
Maria G. Grammatikopoulou: Department of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Thessaly, Biopolis, 41110 Larissa, Greece
Theodoros N. Sergentanis: Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece
Tonia Vassilakou: Department of Public Health Policy, School of Public Health, University of West Attica, 196 Alexandras Avenue, 11521 Athens, Greece

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 22, 1-13

Abstract: Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a serious public health problem that, in recent decades, has taken on significant dimensions with serious effects on the quality of life (QoL) of patients. The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to evaluate the QoL of a sample of hemodialysis patients in Greece and the possible correlations with socio-economic and anthropometric factors, as well as with adherence to the Mediterranean Diet (MD). During September–November 2019, one-hundred and five ( n = 105) patients with end-stage CKD (63.4 ± 13.09 years of age) who were regularly monitored in five public and private hemodialysis units in the region of Attica, completed a demographic questionnaire, the MedDietScore questionnaire, and the KDQOL-SF questionnaire. Females presented worse QoL than males ( p < 0.05), and older patients presented worse QoL than younger patients ( p < 0.01). Patients of higher educational status presented better QoL scores than those of lower educational status ( p < 0.01), while those with low financial status presented lower QoL scores than patients of middle and high financial status ( p < 0.01). Obese patients had lower QoL scores than overweight patients ( p < 0.05), and overweight males scored higher than normal weight males ( p < 0.05). Age was negatively correlated to the total and most of the scales of QoL ( p < 0.01). A majority of the patients (90.5%) showed a moderate adherence to MD, although “work status” was the only QoL scale that was correlated to MD. Age, educational status and financial status accounted for 28.1% of the variance in the KDQOL-SF total score. Hemodialysis patients need support in various levels, such as social, financial and educational, as well as nutritional counseling to adopt a balanced diet and maintain a healthy weight, in order to achieve a better quality of life.

Keywords: hemodialysis; Mediterranean Diet; quality of life; eating habits; obesity; education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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