Abstract:
Chronic renal disease is one of the chronic diseases worldwide now assuming epidemic proportion in the developed and developing countries. Renal diet as part of management regimen for renal diseases aims at modifying eating behaviour to relieve the kidneys from accumulating excess waste products like urea. The study was done to determine factors influencing adherence to prescribed diet among patients attending renal units of university of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu and NEO Hospital and Dialysis Centre Enugu. Adherence is strictly keeping to specific dietary instruction given to a patient with renal disease, to eat only the recommended renal diet in the recommended proportion and regularity. Total number of 51 adults’ male and female patients on maintenance dialysis for at least 2 months and above was used for this study. A descriptive cross sectional study was done and a researcher designed standardized questionnaire containing 35 items titled self-reported dietary and fluid adherence, adapted from Finchman (2005), University of Stellenbosch, Cape Town, South Africa. This was used to collect data at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital and NEO hospital and dialysis centre; from November 2015 to December 2015. Majority (54.9%) were men and (68.6%) were married. Mean age was 48 years and (70.6%) had tertiary education while (2.0%) had no form of education. 75% were on special prescribed renal diet and 39.2% were adherent to the diet. 68.6% had spousal support enhancing their adherence and those with higher family income (47.1%) were more adherent. Age was significant at po.034>p0.05. Based on these findings it was concluded that there was impediments to adhering to prescribed renal diet. Recommendations included that patients should be properly educated on the importance of adherence to regimen and proper monitoring of renal patients should be improved on by health care providers.
