Voices Through Images: A Photo-Voice Study on Nutrition among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis, Cancer, and Type 2 Diabetes
A Photo-Voice Study on Nutrition with Rheumatoid Arthritis and Type 2 Diabetes
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.54393/df.v6i4.186Abstract
As a participatory visual approach, photovoice is increasingly becoming a powerful tool that is used to document and reflect lived experience regarding health and nutrition. Objectives: To determine the leadership nutrition-related issues, hindrances, and enablers that affect the eating habits of people with cancer, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and type 2 diabetes in clinical and social settings. Methods: Photovoice was adopted to explore the diet-related issues in cancer, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and diabetes patients, three chronic illnesses where dietary control is a critical part of the remedy. Patients were asked to capture some images of the food environment that they encounter daily, obstacles to obtaining appropriate nutrition, and encounters with nutritional education within the clinical setting. Results: The analysis resulted in four themes: (1) structural constraints, such as cost and limited access to food; (2) poorly written or standardized dietary prescriptions, which were incompatible with clinical management; (3) perceived need to have formal support provided by registered dietitians; and (4) patient coping strategies which exhibited their resilience and adaptation in the context of financial and clinical restrictions. Patients emphasized the inconsistency of nutritional advice provided by non-experts and its contradictory nature. The level of the problems was demonstrated by photo-stories of naked shelves, inappropriate proportions of portions, and self-designed diets. Conclusions: The findings suggest that the role of registered dietitians in multidisciplinary team care should be considered crucial to ensure the maximum patient outcome and the minimization of the risks of disease complications.
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