The self-management work of food hypersensitivity. A study using a population-based cross-sectional study design and qualitative interviews

Abstract

Food hypersensitivity (FH) has received increased attention in recent years; however, little attention has been given to the self-management work of FH. The aim of the present thesis was to explore the characteristics of women with FH, the nature of the self-management work of FH, and what makes women with FH do the self-management work of FH. The thesis consists of quantitative and qualitative components. The quantitative component (Paper 1) was carried out to explore the characteristics of women with FH. Paper 1 had a cross-sectional design and was based on questionnaire data from a random sample of 64,316 women aged 41-76 years. Qualitative individual interviews were carried out among women with FH aged 39-67 years in order to explore the nature of the self-management work of FH and what made the women do the self-management work of FH. The theoretical framework of the thesis included perspectives regarding the self-management work of handling long-term conditions. Paper 1 showed an association between reporting FH, poor self-perceived health, and comorbidities. In Paper 2, the interviewees’ descriptions indicated that managing a FH may imply a considerable amount of self-management tasks, in particular for those who had not clarified which food(s) cause symptoms. The interviewees carried out most of these tasks themselves, with little help from others, and some made efforts to conceal their restricted diet and FH. Paper 3 indicated that the wish to avoid uncomfortable symptoms and the negative consequences of these symptoms motivated the interviewees to the self-management work of FH. While the qualitative component of the thesis demonstrated that managing a FH can require a large workload, the quantitative component demonstrated an association between FH, poor self-perceived health, and comorbidities, which may decrease one’s capacity to do the self-management work of FH.