Title: Coping self-efficacy predicting stage transition and fat reduction dietary habits in Coronary Artery Disease and Diabetic Outpatients

Abstract:

To delay cardiovascular complications in Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) and diabetic patients, dietary management is crucial, and requires dietary changes in food contents, food habits, and meal patterns.  Behavior change used to be regarded as a two-stage process, from unhealthy to healthy behavior, until more social, emotional, and cognitive factors were found to interact in the course of behavioural change. Using three coping self-efficacy factors at baseline, a predictive correlational study was designed to project stage transition, and dietary fat reduction habits at six months. Coping self-efficacy included negative affective, positive social, and difficult situations. Dietary fat reduction habits consisted of substituting high-to low-fat foods, modifying meat to decrease fat content, avoiding frying foods, replacing high-fat foods with fruits or vegetables, and avoiding fat as a spread or flavoring. Coronary Artery Disease (n = 333) and diabetic (n = 208) patients completed the Dietary Habits Questionnaire, Stage of Change scale, and Coping Self-efficacy Dietary Habit scale at baseline and at six months. Higher self-efficacy when feeling emotionally vulnerable, and during inconvenient situations which make eating low-fat foods difficult were, respectively, 1.222 and 1.302 times more likely to predict forward stage transitioning or remaining in the maintenance stage.  Higher self-efficacy during inconvenient situations, and stage transition, were 2.097 times and 2.805 more likely, respectively, to predict substituting foods, modifying meat, and avoiding frying. Low coping self-efficacy individuals, especially when feeling emotionally vulnerable, would benefit from strategic interventions aimed at substituting high- to low-fat foods, modifying meats, and avoiding frying.

Biography:

Sylvie Robichaud-Ekstrand has completed her PhD in Biomedical Sciences from the Montreal University and postdoctoral studies from the Montreal Heart Institute Cardiac Rehabilitation Center, Canada. Her current research program aims at developing and evaluating cognitive, affective and behavioural approaches to assist individuals with manifest disease or at high risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) to adopt healthier lifestyles. Nurse- and interdisciplinary-led interventions are evaluated for the primary and secondary prevention of CVD among adults. From 2004 to 2009, she was a member on the CIHR Nutrition, Metabolism and Diabetes Institute Advisory Board.