Factors associated with dietary quality among patients diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases at the Uganda heart institute, Kampala city

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases are the leading cause of death globally, and their incidence is increasing. Proper management and treatment are crucial for their prognosis. Medications alone cannot be sufficient, as macro and micronutrients moderate their severity. Optimal dietary quality is essential for all patients with CVDs, regardless of medication quality. The main objective was to assess factors associated with dietary quality among patients diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases at the Uganda heart institute. The study design was cross-sectional, targeting patients that had been diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases, in the previous 3 months, and seeking care from the Uganda Heart Institute. Using systematic random sampling, data were collected from 360 patients through structured interviews. Dietary quality was assessed by the dietary quality index (DQI-I). Frequency, cross tabulation distributions were generated and a log-binomial model for bivariate and multivariate analysis were performed using SPSS version 25. Findings indicated that only 10% of the patients diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases had satisfactory dietary quality. Patients who had a high perceived risk of their CVD turning severe were three times more likely to have a satisfactory dietary quality (aPR = 3.464 [95% CI = 1.197 - 10.026], P = 0.022) compared to those who did not perceive CVD turning severe. Satisfactory dietary quality was less by 83% among CVD patients who were in households that consumed one to two meals a day (aPR = 0.172 [0.053 - 0.558] p = 0.003). Patients whose contact time with service providers per clinical visit was between 10 and 20 minutes, had higher satisfactory dietary quality (aPR = 0.459[95% CI =0.216 - 0.979], p = 0.044). Those who reported service providers endeavored to take their dietary history had lower satisfactory dietary quality (aPR = 0.435[95% CI = 0.215 - 0.882], P = 0.021). In conclusion, dietary quality among CVD patients at the Uganda Heart Institute was low; only 1 in every 10 such patients consumed diets that were protective against any adverse cardiovascular events. Their dietary quality was associated with intrapersonal, interpersonal and institutional characteristics, although the latter exhibited more precedence. Risk education, increasing meal frequency, increasing provider-patient contact time and strengthening dietary education at the institute will increase dietary quality among the patients.