Background: Breast cancer and rheumatoid arthritis are common diseases which change everyday life among women. This study investigated the beliefs and attitudes of female patients regarding diet and their need for dietary counseling in relation to years since diagnosis, age, and education.
Methods: Breast cancer (BC) patients were compared to patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) with a validated questionnaire. Logistic regression models were used to adjust for the differences in demographic patient characteristics between BC and RA. In addition, the influence of demographic variables was studied further in the BC and RA groups, separately or combined. chi(2) testing was used to analyze the associations between demographic and dietary variables.
Results: Eight percent of BC patients and 40% of RA patients considered diet a factor contributing to their disease (P < 0.0001). Thirty percent of BC patients and 51% of those with RA reported having changed their diet after their diagnosis (P = 0.0003, chi(2)). The patients with RA had a 3.9 times higher assumption on the diet and disease connection compared to breast cancer patients (OR = 3.92, P = 0.002). Longer (>5 years) time to diagnosis increased the probability 2.6 times. The main reason for the change in diet was the desire for cure. The main changes reported included reduced consumption of animal fat, sugar, and red meat and increased consumption of fruit and vegetables. The source of information was most commonly the mass media and a need for more information on dietary factors relating to disease was expressed.
Conclusions: We observed the patients to express an interest in alternative dietary habits, with the focus on a healthier diet. The lack of precise dietary recommendations for individual disease situations was expressed strongly and patients depended on information from outside their treatment center.
(C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).