About this Research Topic

Background

In the last three decades, the dimension “health-related quality of life (HRQoL)” has gained attention to an extent to be considered an important clinical outcome, which reflects the patients' subjective experiences, perceptions and judgments related to their overall wellbeing in relation to diseases as well as treatment. HRQoL is a multidimensional concept of wellbeing encompassing physical and occupational function, psychological state, social interaction, somatic sensation, overall life satisfaction and perceptions of health status. Several questionnaires have been developed and tested, showing validity and reliability in the assessment of HRQoL in different clinical settings and across different populations. Some of these questionnaires are generic such as The Short Form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF36), Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) and The Nottingham Health Profile, while some are specific to conditions such as obesity (ORWELL 97), diabetes (DQoL), asthma (AQLQ) and cancer (BR23).

Despite this, there is still a lack of a comprehensive understanding of HRQoL and its relationship with dietary patterns, nutrition and food literacy and nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases (e.g., obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease). High diet quality, such as the Mediterranean diet pattern, has been associated with HRQoL in different sectors of the population, yet still strong evidence is sought on this aspect, specifically in relation to nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases. Moreover, health literacy encompassing nutrition and food literacy are also gaining attention as determinants of healthy eating behavior that can ultimately affect HRQoL. Recent evidence has shown a moderate correlation between health literacy and quality of life that requires further investigation, while there also exists a gap in knowledge related to food and nutrition literacy.

The aim of this Research Topic is to gather evidence on the relationship between HRQoL and nutrition, particularly on dietary patterns and health literacy including food and nutrition literacy. Submissions will be accepted in the form of Original Research, Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses, Reviews and Clinical Trials.

Subtopics of interest in this context include (but are not limited to):
• Development, validity and reliability of specific questionnaires to assess HRQoL in patients with nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases (e.g., obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia and eating disorders)
• Can a baseline impairment of HRQoL hinder/slow treatment effectiveness of nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases?
• What is the impact of different dietary patterns on HRQoL in the context of nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases? Keeping in mind culture and ethnicity
• What is the impact of nutrition and food literacy on HRQoL in the context of nutrition-related noncommunicable diseases? Keeping in mind socio-demographic factors

Keywords: Health-related quality of life, Dietary Patterns, Food Literacy, Nutrition Literacy, Noncommunicable Diseases

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