Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Celiac Disease: A Study Based on the Critical Incident Technique

Nutrients

Chiara Biagetti¹  Giulia Naspi² 

[1] Department of Pediatrics, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via Corridoni 11, Ancona 60123, Italy;

关键词: quality of life;    celiac disease;    gluten free diet;    children;    lived experiences;    psycho-social aspects;   

DOI  :  10.3390/nu5114476

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Celiac Disease (CD) is a chronic autoimmune disease triggered by dietary gluten. Gluten avoidance, which is the only available treatment for CD, could impact on quality of life of children with CD. We present the results of a qualitative study on the emotional impact of gluten free diet (GFD) on the everyday life of children affected with CD. We investigated 76 celiac patients aged 2–18 years (average age: 9.5 years). By using the Critical Incident Technique (CIT), we defined emotions related to difficulties and awkward situations experienced by the patients. Written answers to open-ended questions from either children (older than 8 years) and parents (children younger than 8 years) were analyzed qualitatively. We found 80 dilemmas experienced in three different arenas (food situations at school, meals at home, meals outside) and characterized lived experiences of children with CD in everyday life (specific emotions, difficulties in relationships and in management of daily life). Children with CD experience strong emotions related to the GFD, permeating several aspects of everyday life. These dilemmas may be missed by a conventional, questionnaire-based approach to the psycho-social consequences of CD treatment.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.