Nutrition and Health-Related Quality of Life: Is it an Ignored Outcome? Volume II

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Background

The concept of quality of life (QoL) represents the well-being of people living in a certain society, broadly including physical health, family, education, employment, wealth, religious beliefs, finance and the environment. Recently, the health 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 reflecting temporal changes in individual’s wellbeing encompassing physical and occupational function, psychological state, social interaction, somatic sensation, overall life satisfaction and perceptions of health status. The temporal impact on QoL becomes more pronounced with improved medical care reflected as increased survival and rise in age associated conditions.

Epidemiologic Research with focus on HRQoL remains of prime importance to unveil health disparities and guide health policies. Preventive research focusing on interventions to promote health is essential to guide health promoting actions. Ultimately it will contribute to heathy cities and good health governance in communities, thus advancement to improve health equity, overall wellbeing and quality of life and add life to years.
Despite the expanding literature on HRQoL, disparities still exist due to the lack of a comprehensive understanding of HRQoL and its relationship/interaction with nutrition and the outcome of nutrition-related diseases or its determinants as well as the lack of a comprehensive tool for use in large scale studies. In the first volume “ Health related quality of life: is it an ignored outcome? evidence indicated a bidirectional interaction or synchronic interaction between Nutrition or diseases and health related quality of life. In the case of bidirectional interaction, lifestyle modifications, good diet quality, quitting alcohol, physical activity and weight loss improved effectively HRQol in all its domains. Intriguingly, with obesity, there seems to be a more pronounced decline in HRQoL in the presence of NR-NCD. Alternatively, speaking of synchronic interaction, better concomitant HRQoL along with adherence to dietary guidelines or good diet quality or physical activity at baseline associated with a positive change in health outcomes as mental health, anxiety or depression. Moreover, baseline HRQol predicted either survival in cancer patients or 10 year all-cause mortality. Yet, there seems to be a gap in knowledge on the role of baseline HRQoL as it stands alone, or with its interaction with nutritional status and other diseases. Still strong evidence is sought on the nature of this interaction with other NR-NCD. Despite the abundance of diverse tools, there is still a need for a brief convenient cross-cultural tool to measure HRQoL specifically for large-scale studies. Availability of such a tool would facilitate comparability and generalizability of results across studies globally.

The aim of this Research Topic is to contribute to the evidence sought on the relationship between HRQoL nutrition and disease outcomes with focus on their interactions. 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):
• What is the impact of baseline impairment of HRQoL on hindering/slowing or enhancing treatment effectiveness of nutrition-related diseases or patient outcomes and health inequities? and its interaction with nutritional status or improved diet quality and lifestyle changes.
• What are potential Interventions designed and tested to promote HRQoL or nutrition related quality of life (including tele-health, mobile applications, lifestyle modifications, exercise and dietary interventions and others)
• Development of a brief convenient cross-cultural tool to measure HRQol specifically for large-scale studies.
• Examine the difference in the meaning or value patients place upon a change in HRQoL that can determine the clinical significance of a change in HRQoL.
• Studies to identify comprehensive risk factors or predictors of HRQoL in disease conditions that are amenable to intervention ( lifestyle and diet) and whether changes in these predictors result in more favourable HRQoL.

Keywords: Health related Quality of Life, (HRQoL) Nutrition related non communicable diseases, diet quality, health outcomes, determinants of HRQoL

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