Master's Thesis from the year 2008 in the subject Health - Public
Health, grade: Distinction 75.0%, course: MSc International Public
Health Nutrition, language: English, abstract: The present work focuses
on the nutritional advice provided to people with spinal cord injuries
in the UK. People with spinal cord injuries (SCI) have unique
nutritional needs due to their predisposition to obesity and chronic
diseases, bowel and bladder related health concerns, pressure sores and
osteoporosis. Currently there are no evidence-based nutrition guidelines
provided for this neglected group and with approximately 40,000 people
with SCI in the UK, this is a cause for concern. The overall aim of this
project is to appraise the nutritional advice provided to adults with
SCI, living in the UK and to identify limitations with this advice.
Multiple methods are selected: Sources of nutritional advice (n=11) are
selected by purposive sampling and compared for "consistency" using
directed content analysis. A cross-sectional, web-based survey is
provided to people with SCI (n=69) via convenience sampling and enables
their views to be investigated regarding the "adequacy" and "relevance"
of nutritional advice provided to them. Their responses are analysed
using simple frequency counts and basic content analysis. The results of
the analysis of the webbased survey reveal inadequacies regarding the
nutritional advice that people with SCI had been provided with in terms
of its delivery, timing, form, content and extent to which it was
approved by people with SCI; it also shows that secondary health
conditions were "very important" determinants of food choice for people
with SCI, thus potentially encouraging them to follow nutritional
advice. Nutritional advice provided to people with SCI in the UK shows
great inconsistency. There is also limited evidence to suggest that it
is inadequate but relevant for people with SCI to follow. Due to these
findings the health of people with SCI is at g
