Jessica B. Edwards George

A Simple Validated Gluten-Free Diet Adherence Survey for Adults With Celiac Disease

BACKGROUND & AIMS Celiac disease is an increasingly prevalent disorder. To monitor response to treatment in clinical and research settings, it is essential to accurately measure gluten-free diet (GFD) adherence in a standardized manner. The aim of this study was to develop a valid and reliable Celiac Dietary Adherence Test (CDAT). METHODS Items and domains believed to be essential for successful GFD adherence were used to develop an 85-item survey with input from patient focus groups. The survey was administered to 200 individuals with biopsy-proven celiac disease who underwent standardized dietician evaluation (SDE) and serologic testing. RESULTS Of the initial 85 items, 41 were correlated highly with the SDE (P < .01). Responses for all 200 participants for the 41 items were entered into a single database. Computer-generated randomization produced a derivation cohort of 120 subjects and a validation cohort of 80. By using the derivation cohort, a 7-item questionnaire was developed using logistic regression. The additive score based on these items was correlated highly with the SDE in both the derivation and validation cohorts (P < .001) and performed significantly better than immunoglobulin A tissue transglutaminase titers in receiver operating characteristic curve analysis with areas under the curve of 0.830 and 0.652, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The CDAT is a clinically relevant, easily administered, 7-item instrument that allows for standardized evaluation of GFD adherence and is superior to tissue transglutaminase serology. The CDAT may be useful in both research and clinical settings.

Cultural Issues in Eating Pathology and Body Image Among Children and Adolescents

Eating pathology and body image issues are now recognized as affecting all racial and ethnic groups. This article reviews eating pathology and body image concerns in four diverse groups in the U.S. (African Americans, Latino/as, Asians, and Native Americans). The major conclusion based on this review is that eating disturbances and body dissatisfaction occur to some degree in children and adolescents from all four major ethnic groups in the U.S; however, there is substantial variability across studies. Future directions include the need for studies of prevalence, prevention and treatment research, and investigations of neurobiological and genetic variables.

Psychological correlates of gluten-free diet adherence in adults with celiac disease.

Goals To determine whether personality traits and psychological characteristics are related to gluten-free diet (GFD) adherence in an adult population diagnosed with celiac disease (CD). Background Little research has examined psychological correlates of adherence to the GFD. Study One hundred fifty-seven adults with biopsy-confirmed CD on the GFD for >3 months completed measures of personality and self-reported GFD adherence, provided a blood sample, and participated in an evaluation of GFD adherence conducted by an expert dietician at a clinical care center in a major teaching hospital in Boston, MA. Results An expert evaluation of GFD adherence remained the “gold standard” for measuring GFD adherence when compared with self-report and serology. Logistic regression results indicated that the following were independently associated with GFD adherence: conscientiousness (B=−0.04, SE=0.01, P<0.00), values (B=−0.10, SE=0.05, P<0.05), other food intolerances [odds ratio=0.28, 95% confidence interval=0.10-0.78], and CD symptoms (B=0.05, SE=0.02, P<0.03). A model accounting for these associations effectively predicted whether a participant was adherent or nonadherent on the basis of psychological and demographic/disease-specific factors. Successful prediction rates of GFD adherence for the final model were 75.8% for those rated to be adherent with the GFD and 54.5% for those rated to be nonadherent with the GFD. Conclusions The model of psychological and demographic/disease-specific characteristics developed can be used to identify patients who may be at risk for poor dietary adherence to provide additional support, education, and encouragement to individuals with CD.

A pilot intervention to reduce eating disorder risk in Latina women

OBJECTIVE The current study tested the effects of an eating disorder risk reduction programme (Food, Mood and Attitude (FMA)) with Latina women. METHOD Fifty-two female Latina college students were screened. Of these, 28 eligible women were administered a questionnaire packet prior to and approximately 2 months and again 1 year after completing a 2-hour computer-based risk reduction programme called FMA and participating in two 2-hour discussion groups about risk factors for eating disorders. RESULTS Paired sample t-tests indicated significant changes from pre- to post-assessment on the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDEQ)-shape concerns subscale (p = .002), Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2)-body dissatisfaction (BD) subscale (p < .001) and the Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ; p = .006). Significant changes in binge frequency also occurred (p = .006). Changes on three of these measures were maintained at the 1-year follow-up assessment. CONCLUSIONS This small-scale study suggests that FMA may reduce some risk factors for eating disorders in Latina college women.

Attitudes to Mesalamine Questionnaire: A Novel Tool to Predict Mesalamine Nonadherence in Patients with IBD

OBJECTIVES:Poor adherence to mesalamine is common and driven by a combination of lifestyle and behavioral factors, as well as health beliefs. We sought to develop a valid tool to identify barriers to patient adherence and predict those at risk for future nonadherence.METHODS:A 10-item survey was developed from patient-reported barriers to adherence. The survey was administered to 106 patients with ulcerative colitis who were prescribed mesalamine, and correlated with prospectively collected 12-month pharmacy refills (medication possession ratio (MPR)), urine levels of salicylates, and self-reported adherence (Morisky Medication Adherence Scale (MMAS)-8).RESULTS:From the initial 10-item survey, 8 items correlated highly with the MMAS-8 score at enrollment. Computer-generated randomization produced a derivation cohort of 60 subjects and a validation cohort of 46 subjects to assess the survey items in their ability to predict future adherence. Two items from the patient survey correlated with objective measures of long-term adherence: their belief in the importance of maintenance mesalamine even when in remission and their concerns about side effects. The additive score based on these two items correlated with 12-month MPR in both the derivation and validation cohorts (P<0.05). Scores on these two items were associated with a higher risk of being nonadherent over the subsequent 12 months (relative risk (RR) =2.2, 95% confidence interval=1.5–3.5, P=0.04). The area under the curve for the performance of this 2-item tool was greater than that of the 10-item MMAS-8 score for predicting MPR scores over 12 months (area under the curve 0.7 vs. 0.5).CONCLUSIONS:Patients’ beliefs about the need for maintenance mesalamine and their concerns about side effects influence their adherence to mesalamine over time. These concerns could easily be raised in practice to identify patients at risk of nonadherence (Clinical Trial number NCT01349504).

Exploring the Tripartite Influence Model of body dissatisfaction in postpartum women

Pregnancy and childbirth result in dramatic changes in a womans body shape, which can be associated with body image concerns. To date, however, little is known about how sociocultural factors may influence body dissatisfaction in postpartum women. This study aimed to test a sociocultural model of body image and eating concerns among a sample of postpartum women. A sample of N=474 women, mean (SD) age=30.6 (4.8), having given birth during the last year, completed an online survey and reported on sociocultural pressures from media, peers, family and partners, thin-ideal internalization, appearance comparison, body dissatisfaction, and psychological functioning. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed a good fit to the data, χ2 (49)=220.20, p<.001, RMSEA=.086, CFI=.93. Findings suggest that women experience strong sociocultural pressures to attain unrealistic body shapes/sizes during the post-pregnancy period, contributing to their body image concerns.