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

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: Mediterranean Diet; eating habits; education; hemodialysis; obesity; quality of life.