Eating Habits and Nutritional Status of Hospitalized Patients with Specific Chronic Non-Communicable Diseases in Three Major Hospitals in Accra

Abstract

Background: Eating habits and nutritional status can adversely affect an individual‟s health. Many patients on hospital admission do not eat and drink sufficiently which may put them at a greater risk of malnutrition. This may consequently lead to increased complications resulting in longer periods of hospital stay and slower response to treatment. Knowledge about their daily intakes may give an indication of malnourished patients and the pragmatic steps that need to be taken towards their care. Aim: To assess the eating habits and nutritional status of hospitalized adults (18-60 years) with diabetes and hypertension. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Ridge, Trust and Police Hospitals in Accra. A systematic sampling technique was used to recruit 70 patients with chronic non communicable diseases (hypertension and diabetes) aged 18-60 years on admission at the various hospitals. Information on socio-demographic characteristics and eating habits both on admission and before admission were obtained through the administration of a semi-structured questionnaire, a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a 3 day 24-hour recall. To assess the nutritional status, combination of anthropometric measurements and biochemical data were used. Anthropometric indices (height, weight) were measured for each patient. Nutritional status was assessed using visceral fat, body fat, Body mass index (BMI), and serum albumin levels. Data was analyzed using SPSS (version 20). Associations between variables were obtained using chi-square. P-value ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.