Patient Perspectives of Living with Coeliac Disease and Accessing Dietetic Services in Rural Australia: A Qualitative Study

Lived Experiences of Parents of Children with Celiac Disease: A Descriptive Qualitative Study

Purpose

Celiac disease (CD) is one of the most prevalent food-related illnesses in children, with a global prevalence of approximately 1.4%. CD can create an emotional burden, particularly on mothers, who are mainly responsible for managing challenges related to adherence to a gluten-free diet, high food costs, and food problems in schools and social areas. There is a gap in the literature, and parental experiences of raising children with CD should be explicitly examined. This qualitative study sought to provide insights into the experiences of parents raising a child with CD in the Turkish context.

Methods

This study used a descriptive qualitative research methodology and conducted individual semi-structured video-based dyadic interviews with 19 parents.

Results

Participants experienced both challenges and motivators through management of their children's CD. Analyses of the interview transcripts through the data uncovered three main themes focusing primarily on parental concerns: (1) parental challenges in child's disease management, (2) supportive care needs, and (3) parental expectations.

Conclusion

A multidisciplinary team should approach the child and family immediately after diagnosis, and facilities should support parents with continuing education and psychological, financial, and social assistance.

Understanding the patient's experience of coeliac disease diagnosis: a qualitative interview study

BACKGROUND

Coeliac disease (CD) presents with non-specific symptoms, and delays to diagnosis are common. The traditional diagnostic pathway involves serological testing followed by endoscopic biopsy; however, the evidence is increasing about the effectiveness of a diagnosis without the need for a biopsy.

AIM

To understand the patient's experience of being diagnosed with CD.

DESIGN AND SETTING

A qualitative study was conducted, which involved semi-structured interviews with adults diagnosed with CD living in the UK.

METHOD

Participants (n = 20) were purposefully sampled from 200 adults who had completed a diagnostic confidence survey. Interviews were conducted via video-conferencing software (Zoom), recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Interviewees faced pre-diagnostic uncertainty, presenting with non-specific symptoms that many experienced for several years and may have normalised. GPs often attributed their symptoms to alternative diagnoses, commonly, irritable bowel syndrome or anaemia. Investigations caused further uncertainty, with half of the interviewees unaware that their initial serology included a test for CD, and reporting long waits for endoscopy and challenges managing their diet around the procedure. Their uncertainty reduced once they received their biopsy results. Endoscopy was presented as the 'gold standard' for diagnosis and most interviewees believed that the procedure was necessary for diagnostic confidence and conviction in a lifelong gluten-free diet.

CONCLUSION

Patients experience uncertainty on the pathway to a diagnosis of CD. GPs could improve their experiences by being mindful of the possibility of CD and sharing information about serological testing. Policy and guidance should address the time to endoscopy and diet during diagnosis. If diagnosis without biopsy is adopted, then consideration should be given to clinical pathway implementation and communication approaches to reduce patient uncertainty.

The psychosocial experiences of adults diagnosed with coeliac disease: a qualitative evidence synthesis

BACKGROUND

Coeliac disease is a chronic autoimmune condition associated with intestinal and extraintestinal symptoms. Coeliac Disease is managed through strict adherence to a gluten-free diet, which, though usually effective, is challenging to maintain. This review synthesised qualitative research on the psychosocial experiences of adults living with coeliac disease.

METHODS

Keyword searches were conducted of the academic databases CINAHL, EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsychINFO, SCOPUS and Web of Science for articles published (2005-2021), followed by forward and backward searches. Thematic synthesis of included articles was carried out on sections reporting findings or results, discussion, conclusions, and supporting data. The inductive thematic synthesis identified descriptive and analytical themes from the included studies.

RESULTS

Of 1284 records identified, 17 articles from 15 original studies were included in the thematic synthesis. The majority of studies were from Europe (76%), with the remainder from North America and Australia. Data represented 371 adults with coeliac disease (72% female; 17-85 years old, diagnosed < 1-42 years ago) across eight countries. Findings identified six analytical themes relating to the psychosocial experience of coeliac disease: 'Living with ongoing risk'; 'Losing more than gluten'; 'A changed identity'; 'A changed relationship with food'; 'The gluten-free diet creates a multifaceted burden'; and 'Learning how to live well with Coeliac Disease'.

CONCLUSIONS

Coeliac disease changes adults' psychosocial experiences. Adaptation involves ongoing learning, and development of psychological acceptance facilitates adjustment. Increased public education about coeliac disease may reduce stigma and risk. Psychosocial assessment and support could improve quality of life post-diagnosis.

Celiac Disease Dietary Adherence on the Rural-Urban Continuum

Poor adherence to a gluten-free diet for those with celiac disease is a well-established risk factor, leading to gastrointestinal symptoms, malabsorption of nutrients, and psychiatric complications. Previous studies have shown that those outside urban areas encounter unique barriers to dietary adherence and are less likely to engage in health management behaviors than those in urban regions. This study aimed to examine the relationship between gluten-free dietary adherence and individual, relationship, and community factors, including the geographic location of residence on the rural-urban continuum, for 253 adults with celiac disease living in the United States. Those with celiac disease residing in urban regions had significantly better dietary adherence than those residing in nonurban areas (p < 0.05). Those living in nonurban communities had, on average, poor enough adherence scores to suggest ongoing intestinal damage from gluten consumption. Geographic location, age, years since diagnosis, and annual income significantly predicted compliance with a gluten-free diet for those with celiac disease, accounting for nearly 20% of the variance. Those living outside urban areas with a lower income, younger age, and more recent diagnosis of celiac disease had the worst dietary adherence, placing them at the most risk for ongoing disease progression and complications.

Does Internet use connect smallholder farmers to a healthy diet? Evidence from rural China

Introduction

Undernutrition and micronutrient malnutrition remain problems of significant magnitude among small-scale subsistence farmers, posing a serious threat to their health and well-being. Developing a healthy diet can effectively reduce this threat. Fortunately, the Internet can speed up the process.

Methods

Based on survey data from 5,114 farm households in nine provinces in China, this study quantitatively assesses the impact of Internet use on the dietary quality of smallholder farmers using OLS regression models and PSM models.

Results/Discussion

(1) Internet use can significantly contribute to dietary diversity and dietary rationality among smallholder farmers, thus optimizing their dietary structure. (2) Internet use significantly increased the average consumption amounts of milk and its products (2.9 g), fruits (21.5 g), eggs (7.5 g), and vegetables (27.1 g), while also decreasing the intake of salts (1.5 g) and oil (3.8 g). (3) The pull of internet use to improve diet quality is more significant for smallholder households with lower levels of education, older heads of households, and higher household incomes. (4) A possible mechanism is that Internet use increases household income and information access skills of rural residents, thus improving their dietary quality. In summary, governments should further promote Internet penetration in rural areas for health purposes.

Advances in Celiac Disease and Gluten-Free Diet

Celiac disease (CD) is a systemic disease that causes chronic enteropathy of the small intestine and develops through an inadequate immune response to gluten in genetically predisposed individuals [...].