Hemodialysis (HD) patients can experience appetite alterations that affect meals and nutritional status. Few qualitative studies have assessed the chronic impact of HD on the everyday diet. This study aimed to characterise comprehensively the experiences of HD patients adapting to appetite alteration. Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews were conducted in a unit of a tertiary hospital to understand patient experiences with appetite alteration. An interview guide was used to consider adaptive processes developed after reviewing the literature and based on the researchers’ clinical experiences. A single researcher conducted all interviews to maintain consistency in data collection. The interview content was analysed using Nvivo 11 based on grounded theory and constant comparison analysis. As a results, the mean age and HD vintage of 14 participants were 60 and 5.8 years, respectively. We developed a self-care model based on HD patient experiences with appetite alteration based on axial and selective coding. Differences in urea sensitivity, taste alteration, and social support could be explained by timing of transitions, life events, and responses to stress. Self-care processes are adapted through the processes of “self-registration” and “self-reconstruction,” starting with “disruption.” At the stage of adjustment, 4 self-management types were derived based on pattern of self-care: self-initiator, follower, realist, and pessimist. The results of this study provide unique qualitative insight into the lived experiences of HD patients experiencing appetite alteration and their self-care processes. By recognising dietary challenges, health teams can better support HD patients in the transition from dietary education to self-care.
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Children living in the internally displaced person (IDP) camp are at higher risk of stunting. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the prevalence and to identify the associated factors of stunting among children aged 6–59 months at Myaing-Gyi-Ngu IDP camp in Kayin State, Myanmar. According to the World Health Organization Child Growth Standards, children with a height-for-age Z-scores below −2 standard deviation of the reference median (HAZ ≤ −2) were classified as stunted. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the strong predictors. Prevalence of stunting has been found very high (59.4%). Adjusted model revealed that children living with illiterate mothers (odds ratio [OR], 1.86; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–3.24), being third/later-birth child (OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.13–3.14), consuming less than 4 food groups (OR, 4.22; 95% CI, 1.94–9.16), and older age of child (OR, 6.36 for 13–24 months; 95% CI, 2.74–14.74, 7.45 for 25–36 months; 95% CI, 3.21–17.25 and 12.75 for 37–59 months; 95% CI, 5.51–29.52) had higher odds of becoming stunted. The levels of support availability, presumed support and support received of mothers were generally low, but no significant associations were observed. In conclusion, this study showed high prevalence of stunting, but low dietary diversity and social support in the IDP camp. Due to the significant association of dietary diversity scores with stunting, interventions aiming at improving dietary diversity should be taken to reduce the stunting among children in the IDPs camp.
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