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Poor nutrition and substance use in a Swiss cohort of adults with spinal cord injury

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Abstract

Objectives

To describe associations and co-occurrence of nutrition and substance use in Swiss residents with spinal cord injury (SCI) and to compare prevalence with a matched general population sample.

Methods

Analysis of cross-sectional data (n = 511) from the Swiss SCI community survey (SwiSCI) including Swiss residents with SCI aged over 16. Regression models were computed to assess associations of age, sex, socioeconomic position, social support, and self-efficacy with nutrition (liquid, fruit, vegetable, and meat intake), smoking, alcohol and cannabis consumption. Co-occurrence was evaluated by residual correlations of multivariable models.

Results

Age differences in smoking, alcohol and cannabis consumption, and sex differences in nutrition and alcohol consumptionwere identified. Socioeconomic position, social support and self-efficacy were not associated with nutrition and substance use. Poor nutrition was related to higher alcohol consumption and most substance use behaviors co-occurred. Compared to the general population, persons with SCI reported higher liquid and cannabis intake but lower alcohol and meat consumption.

Conclusion

In this population with severe disability, age and sex differences in nutrition and substance use should be considered in health intervention planning.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the staff of the SwiSCI study center for their efforts in realizing this study. We are grateful to all the participants of the SwiSCI survey for their time and effort spent in responding to our questions. Also, we would like to thank Dr. Szilvia Geyh, Dr. Rachel Müller, and Dr. Claudio Peter for their special effort in the design and the recruitment for the module on health behaviors and personal factors. This study has been financially supported by the Swiss Paraplegic Foundation.

The members of the SwiSCI Steering Committee are: Xavier Jordan, Bertrand Léger (Clinique Romande de Réadaptation, Sion); Michael Baumberger, Hans Peter Gmünder (Swiss Paraplegic Center, Nottwil); Armin Curt, Martin Schubert (University Clinic Balgrist, Zürich); Margret Hund-Georgiadis, Kerstin Hug (REHAB Basel, Basel); Hans Georg Koch (Swiss Paraplegic Association, Nottwil); Hardy Landolt (Representative for persons with SCI, Glarus); Hannjörg Koch (SUVA, Luzern); Mirjam Brach, Gerold Stucki (Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil); Martin Brinkhof, Christine Thyrian (SwiSCI Study Center at Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil).

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Swiss Paraplegic Research, Nottwil, Switzerland

    Christine Fekete & Armin Gemperli

  2. Department of Medical Sociology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany

    Simone Weyers

  3. Faculty of Medicine, University of Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany

    Johannes Siegrist

  4. Department of Health Sciences and Health Policy, University of Lucerne, Lucerne, Switzerland

    Gisela Michel & Armin Gemperli

Authors
  1. Christine Fekete
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  2. Simone Weyers
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  4. Gisela Michel
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  5. Armin Gemperli
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Correspondence to Christine Fekete.

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Fekete, C., Weyers, S., Siegrist, J. et al. Poor nutrition and substance use in a Swiss cohort of adults with spinal cord injury. J Public Health 23, 25–35 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-015-0653-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10389-015-0653-z

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