Nutrition Education Programs for Adults with Neurological Diseases Are Lacking: A Scoping Review

The nutrition recommendation for most common neurological diseases is to follow national dietary guidelines. This is to mitigate malnutrition, reduce the risk of diet-related diseases, and to help manage some common symptoms, including constipation. Nutrition education programs can support people in...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Rebecca D. Russell, Lucinda J. Black, Andrea Begley
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2022-04-01
Series:Nutrients
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/14/8/1577
Description
Summary:The nutrition recommendation for most common neurological diseases is to follow national dietary guidelines. This is to mitigate malnutrition, reduce the risk of diet-related diseases, and to help manage some common symptoms, including constipation. Nutrition education programs can support people in adhering to guidelines; hence the aim of this scoping review was to explore what programs have been implemented for adults with neurological diseases. We conducted this review according to a published <i>a priori</i> protocol. From 2555 articles screened, 13 were included (dementia n = 6; multiple sclerosis n = 4; stroke survivors n = 2; Parkinson’s n = 1). There were no programs for epilepsy, Huntington’s, and motor neurone disease. Program duration and number of sessions varied widely; however, weekly delivery was most common. Just over half were delivered by dietitians. Most did not report using a behavior change theory. Commonly used behavior change techniques were <i>instruction on how to perform a behavior</i>, <i>credible source</i>, and <i>behavioral practice/rehearsal</i>. Evidence of nutrition education programs for adults with neurological diseases is lacking. Of those that are published, many do not meet best practice principles for nutrition education regarding delivery, educator characteristics, and evaluation. More programs aligning with best practice principles are needed to assess characteristics that lead to behavior change.
ISSN:2072-6643