Difficulties in changing the diet in relation to dietary fat intake among patients with coronary heart disease

Objective: To study barriers in following nutritional advice among coronary heart disease patients in relation to dietary fat intake. Design: A cross-sectional study using 4-day food records and a questionnair e with regard to barriers to or difficulties in following dietary advice. Subjects: Altogether, 362 male subjects with coronary heart disease from tw o separate patient populations (91 + 271) were included in the study, with the mean age of 50 years and 60 years, respectively. The patients were clas sified into low (less than or equal to 30 E%) or high (>30 E%) fat intake g roups. The patients with low dietary fat intake obtained on an average 10 E % less energy from fat as compared to the high dietary fat intake group. Results: Overall, most patients with coronary heart disease reported diffic ulties in following nutritional advice when eating in social situations. Pa tients with high dietary fat intake reported more frequently than patients with low fat intake that they eat like other people without thinking about what they eat. On the other hand, there were no differences between the hig h and low fat intake groups in the barriers: eating at work, food price, sh opping, taste or knowledge of nutrition. Conclusions: Our results suggest that the sensitivity to social influence i s an important factor explaining noncompliance with dietary advice among pa tients with high dietary fat intake. Sponsorship: Supported by research grants from the Finnish Heart Associatio n, the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Social Insurance Institution of Finland.