Monitoring and nutritional intervention in caregivers and patients with multiple disabilities

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the monitoring and nutrition intervention in participants
and patients with multiple disabilities in a beneficent institution. This is a longitudinal
study, interventional and descriptive, with 36 caregiver participants and 36 patient
participants with disabilities and/or multiple syndromes, of all ages, accompanied by
a beneficent institution of the State of São Paulo. The study included four phases, as
follows: 1) initial contact; 2) initial data collection; 3) nutritional interventions and
4) end of data collection. The variables analyzed were: motor function (GMFCS);
nutritional status (BMI, BMI/A, H/A and MUAC); risk of metabolic disease; risk
of cardiovascular disease; feeding behavior (CEBQ and DEBQ), food consumption,
quality of life (SF-36) and the occurrence of infectious disease. The nutritional
intervention realized activities such as conversation wheel, simulations, culinary
workshops, theater, lectures and guidance material. All caregiver participants were
female and 63.9% of male patient participants. In male patient participants, 52.1%
were diagnosed with Encephalopathy unspecified, and 73.9% were classified in
category IV. Of the caregiver participants, 75% were classified with some kind of
overweight, high frequency risk of metabolic disease and cardiovascular disease
before and after dietary intervention. Of the patient participants 27.7 were classified
with nutritional deficits, with the highest average in the subscale of pleasure in food
(3.7+0.9), after the interventions. At the end of the intervention, 16.7% of caregiver
participants had moderate binge eating. After the interventions, the lowest average
of 33.5±0.0 was found in pain domain, both in eutrophic and obese class III. Of
the patient participants, 63.9% showed no occurrence of infectious disease. The
longitudinal nutritional monitoring is very important, especially in this population that
requires multidisciplinary care due to financial interference, emotional and physical
that directly affect eating behavior and, consequently, nutritional status caregiver
participant and patient participant.