Diet Modifications Used by Community Adults with Fecal Incontinence

Diet Modifications Used by Community Adults with Fecal Incontinence

Individuals with fecal incontinence (FI), especially women, change their diet as a self-care strategy, but the way in which they do so is unknown. The purpose of this study was to describe the modifications in diet and eating patterns that community-living people make to manage FI. 188 subjects (77% female, 92% white, age=58(14) mean(sd)) who participated in a study about managing FI by dietary fiber supplementation were interviewed about changes in diet and eating patterns. A content analysis was conducted on responses to 8 open-ended questions about foods that improve/worsen FI, foods avoided/reduced, and changes in eating patterns and food preparation. 55% of subjects reported that foods worsened FI including vegetables (13%) and fruits or spicy foods (11% each). More women (44%) than men (10%) found certain foods worsen their leakage specifically, fatty/greasy foods ((10% women vs 0% men), p=.009) and fruits ((9% women vs 0.5% men), p=.049). One-third of all subjects avoided foods, and women (31%) did so more than men (4%, p=.007). Foods that were avoided included fatty/greasy foods (10% subjects), vegetables (8.5%), dairy (8%), and spicy foods (6%). One-third of subjects ate some foods therapeutically for FI: 12% ate fiber breads, 6% ate fiber cereals, and 8% ate fruit. 20% of subjects altered eating patterns: 12% skipped meals and 4% ate at consistent times. 5% of subjects changed how they prepared foods by avoiding frying. Common diet modifications might suggest a pattern of food effects on FI. These findings, which are the first to reveal diet and eating changes in a large sample of men and women with FI show no consistent pattern of modification. Nurses may find this new knowledge useful to tailor individualized diet recommendations to FI patients as an adjunct therapy.