Personal, social, and situational influences associated with dietary experiences of participants in an intensive heart program

This investigation examined influences on the dietary experiences among cor onary heart disease patients in an intensive lifestyle heart program. This exploratory study relied on semistructured qualitative interviews performed over a 4-month data collection period. Purposeful sampling recruited 19 me n and 4 women. A cross-sectional design selected participants at several ti me points in program participation. The Constant Comparative Method was use d for analyzing the qualitative data. The study identified several types of factors that program participants reported to be influences shaping their diet change experiences. Personal factors influencing dietary change includ ed preprogram experiences such as cardiac surgery and diet history, as well as emotional disposition, diet strategies, physical state, and views about the program, diet, and heart disease. Social relationships (immediate fami ly, friends and relatives, and other program members) and situational conte xts (eating out,job flexibility, and times of crises) also were influences. Participants reported that each of these influences either facilitated or complicated their dietary changes. These findings provide nutrition educato rs with information that can assist in developing personalized approaches f or helping individuals who seek dietary change.