Problem with Dietary Habits in Community-Dwelling Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury in Japan: A Qualitative Study

The purpose of this study was to develop a model that details “problems with dietary habits” for community-dwelling individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI). We mailed questionnaires to 2,731 registered members of Spinal Injuries Japan that asked the following question: “Is there any problem with your diet, meal, and food? Feel free to write anything.” The answer paper had free space in which individuals could freely write their problems with diet, meal, and food. Ultimately, responses from 260 individuals who answered the open-ended question were analyzed. We categorized responses using content analysis. The categories were classified based on the PRECEDE-PROCEED model. A total of 337 items related to “problems with dietary habits” as record units. The record units were classified into seven categories. Five of the seven categories have utility for the PRECEDE-PROCEED model of dietary habits: health/nutritional status, dietary behavior, healthy behavior, reinforcing, and enabling. The two categories not included in the PRECEDE-PROCEED model of dietary habits were excretion and other problems. “Problems with dietary habits” were classified and five of the seven categories form a framework applicable to the PRECEDE-PROCEED model.