Predictors of compliance with diet 6 months after heart transplantation

Objective: To examine and predict patient compliance with diet 6 months after heart transplantation. Design: Prospective, correlational design, with nonrandom sample. Setting: Midwestern and southern medical centers. Patients: Ninety-four adult patients who had undergone heart transplantation 6 months previously (mean age 55 years; primarily married men). Variables: Sixteen independent variables measured by nine instruments (with acceptable preliminary reliability and validity data) and chart review were used to predict compliance with diet 6 months after heart transplantation. Statistics: Descriptive statistics, correlations, and multiple regression were used to analyze the data. Results: More than 85% of patients were compliant with their diet most or all of the time, and more than 70% of patients experienced little or no difficulty complying with their diet. Difficulty with dietary compliance, gastrointestinal symptoms, and health perception predicted dietary compliance (accounting for 38% of variance). Conclusions: This study will contribute to enhanced patient care and may decrease morbidity and deaths after transplantation.