A Personalized Multi-Component Lifestyle Intervention Program Leads to Improved Quality of Life in Persons with Chronic Kidney Disease

Introduction Lifestyle interventions have been shown to produce favorable changes in some health outcomes in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, few such studies, employing “real world” methods have been completed in patients with CKD. Objective This study tested the effectiveness of a comprehensive, multicomponent, lifestyle intervention, delivered through individualized counseling on a variety of health outcomes in pre-dialysis CKD patients. Methods Eligible patients were assigned randomly to the intervention (TR) or usual care group (UC). A six-month home-based program involving personalized counseling to increase physical activity to recommended levels among stage G3a to G4 CKD patients while exchanging plant proteins for animal proteins was implemented. Physical function, cardiovascular function, dietary intake, medication use, and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) were assessed at baseline and after 1-month, 3-months (M3) and 6-months (M6). Results Forty-two, patients (age 60.2 ± 9.2, BMI 34.5 ± 7.8) participated in this study (TR=27 UC=15). The intervention reduced (p<0.05) brachial (bSBP) and central systolic blood pressures (cSBP) at month 3 (M3) but both were attenuated at month 6 (M6). Scores on the effect of kidney disease subscale of the HRQOL measure improved in the intervention group at M3 and M6. There was no change in the other measures of HRQOL or in any physical function scores. Conclusions This personalized multi-component lifestyle intervention enabled CKD patients to self-report fewer concerns with how CKD affected their daily lives independent of changes in physical function.