Eating habits and the desire to eat healthier among patients with chronic pain: a registry-based study

• Published in: Scientific reports 2024-02, Vol.14 (1), p.4705-4705, Article 4705
• Main Authors: Dong, Huan-Ji, Brain, Katherine, Olsson, Max, Dragioti, Elena, Gerdle, Björn, Ghafouri, Bijar
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/499; 692/699/1702; 692/699/375; Chronic Pain; Confectionery; Diet; Dietary intake; Eating; Eating behavior; Fast food; Feeding Behavior; Food consumption; Humanities and Social Sciences; Humans; Middle Aged; multidisciplinary; Nutritional status; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Patients; Rehabilitation; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-55449-z

Healthcare professionals often meet pain patients with a poor nutritional status such as obesity, unhealthy dietary behaviors, and a suboptimal dietary intake. A poor nutritional status may play a significant role in the occurrence, development, and prognosis of chronic pain. This study investigated eating habits in a specialized pain rehabilitation center using data (N = 2152) from the Swedish quality registry for pain rehabilitation during the period 2016–2021. Patients answered a lifestyle questionnaire regarding their eating habits and desire to modify their lifestyle. The mean (SD) patient age was 46.1 (14.6) years, with 24.8% classified as obese. Suboptimal eating habits included irregular mealtimes (27.2%), weekly consumption of fast-food (20.3%) and nearly daily consumption of confectionery (33.3%). Approximately 20% (n = 426) reported a desire to eat healthier. Frequent confectionery intake (Odds ratio [OR] 1.23, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.04–1.47) and fast-food consumption (OR 1.58, 95% CI 1.24–2.02) increased the likelihood to desire healthier eating. Younger patients (18–29 years), those classified as obese, and those with more extended spatial pain were more likely to express a desire to eat healthier. Eating habits should be addressed in pain management and interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation teams are encouraged to provide nutritional care tailored to the patient's needs.