Presented at the 2012 AAPM Annual Meeting « Back

Nutritional Survey of Chronic Pain Patients

John F. Peppin, DO FACP, johnpeppin@msn.com¹, Jennifer A. Kouns, MS RD LD², Kenneth L. Kirsh, PhD¹, Ashley Baughn, BS¹, (1) The Paint Treatment Center of the Bluegrass, Lexington, Kentucky, (2) American Dietetic Association, Lexington, Kentucky

There is a paucity of data regarding the nutrition habits of chronic pain patients. As nutritional intake and food choices may impact medication absorption and utility, we developed a novel nutrition screen to develop an initial picture about the eating habits of these patients. A novel nutrition screen was created with the help of the center’s dietician as well as other clinicians. The screen-captured height and weight for body mass index (BMI) calculations as well as dietary intake for major food groups. A series of questions were asked about eating patterns and other health risk factors. A total of 174 patients filled out the questionnaire. The sample comprised 61 men (35.1%) and 113 women (64.9%) with an average age of 46.6 years (SD = 10.0, range = 25-71). The average BMI for the group was 31.9 (SD = 8.8, range = 19.1-65.0). A breakdown of BMI into ranges found only 37 (23.9%) to fall into the normal range with none being underweight. The overweight BMI category accounted for 25.8%, n = 40), with the remainder (n = 78, 50.3%) falling into the obese category. The majority (67%, n = 116) skipped meals and only 45 (25.9%) stated they were largely inactive. Chronic pain patients have poor BMI results and unhealthy eating patterns. Future work will concentrate on diet interventions and exploration of food impact on medication absorption and utility. Reviewed and approved by the center’s Research Ethics Compliance Committee.

Funding: None