Age-related macular degeneration patients' awareness of nutritional factors

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual impairment in older adults in the United Kingdom. This study sought to characterise AMD patients who seek the services of the Macular Society, and determine the level and source of their dietary knowledge. A questionnaire was designed, validated, and administered to 158 participants. The questions covered demographic data and knowledge of nutrition and supplementation. The mean age of participants was 79 years; 61% of them were female, and 27% were registered visually impaired. Only 55% of the participants thought diet was important for eye health, 63% felt that they had not received enough information about AMD. The participants reported that their information mainly came from non-professional support groups. Most participants identified healthy food, but could not say why, and were not able to identify carotenoid rich foods. The results of the study will inform design of education and dissemination methods regarding dietary information. © The Author(s) 2014.

Exploring attitudes towards dietary modification and nutritional supplementation in people with and without age-related macular degeneration

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause for visual impairment and blindness registration in the developed world. Due to the large amounts of conflicting AMD research on the role of nutrition and antioxidant intake, it is difficult for patients and practitioners to determine which measures can be taken to slow down the disease progression. The aim of this research was to determine the beliefs and knowledge that patients with AMD have about nutrition, to identify whether their condition is preventing them from eating a healthy diet, and to discover what their diet consists of. For the initial study, 158 participants with AMD (mean age 79 ± 7.8 years) and 50 participants without AMD (mean age 67 ± 8 years) were recruited from the Macular Society helpline, or from optometric practice. Participants had a 25 minute telephone interview where a 36-question survey was completed. The survey elicited demographic information, and questions covered the knowledge that participants had on nutrition and their current diet. The results from this survey uncovered three major findings: 1) 100% of AMD participants felt that they do not have enough information and support from eye-care practitioners regarding nutrition, 2) AMD patients are confused over, and display a lack of knowledge of, which foods are beneficial for eye health and when and what nutritional supplements to take, evidenced by 65% of participants not taking the correct dosage 3) AMD patients are not eating enough nutrients that would be beneficial for their condition - consuming an average of 1.4mg of lutein and zeaxanthin rather than the recommended 10mg. A clinical decision-making aid was created as an intervention based upon these findings. The aim of the aid was to help eye-care practitioners give the correct nutritional advice to their patients. Founded on the AREDS 2 inclusion and exclusion criteria, practitioners are able to identify which patients could benefit from a nutritional supplement, and which patients could benefit from dietary modification. An evaluation of the aid with 72 qualified eye-care practitioners exhibited a statistically significant increase in confidence after using the aid for two weeks. An evaluation using 51 student optometrists showed a statistically significant increase in confidence and a statistically significant increase in appropriate management of patients after using the aid. This project has elicited findings that are significant for AMD patient education. It is hoped that through these studies, patients will receive consistent advice about the risk factors for AMD, the link between AMD and nutrition, and the importance of maintaining a healthy, well-balanced diet.

Strategies to optimize the impact of nutritional surveys and epidemiological studies

The development of nutrition and health guidelines and policies requires reliable scientific information. Unfortunately, theoretical considerations and empirical evidence indicate that a large percentage of science-based claims rely on studies that fail to replicate. The session "Strategies to Optimize the Impact of Nutrition Surveys and Epidemiological Studies" focused on the elements of design, interpretation, and communication of nutritional surveys and epidemiological studies to enhance and encourage the production of reliable, objective evidence for use in developing dietary guidance for the public. The speakers called for more transparency of research, raw data, consistent data-staging techniques, and improved data analysis. New approaches to collecting data are urgently needed to increase the credibility and utility of findings from nutrition epidemiological studies. Such studies are critical for furthering our knowledge and understanding of the effects of diet on health.