Qualitative themes | NHANES questions/variables |
Glucose monitoring | How often do you check your blood for glucose or sugar? |
Salt reduction | To lower your risk for certain diseases, are you reducing the amount of sodium or salt in your diet? What kind of diet are you on? Is it a low-sodium diet? |
Changed diet for diabetes | What kind of diet are you on? Is it a diabetic diet? |
Changed eating habits to lose weight/to not gain weight. | |
Reduced or skipped medication (and memory aids, pillbox) | Told to take medicine for high blood pressure, but not taking it. Told to take medicine to lower cholesterol, but not taking it. |
Sugar reduction | What kind of diet are you on? Is it sugar-free or low-sugar diet? Ate less sugar, candy, sweets to lose weight/not gain weight. |
Starch/carbohydrate reduction | What kind of diet are you on? (Is it a low-carbohydrate diet?) Reducing carbohydrates to lose weight/not gain weight. |
Portion control/calorie count | What kind of diet are you on? Is it a weight loss or low-calorie diet? Switched to lower calorie foods to lose weight/not gain weight. |
Ate less food to lose weight/not gain weight. | |
Diabetes education, at diagnosis | When was the last time you saw a diabetes nurse educator or dietitian or nutritionist for your diabetes? In the past 12 months, did you seek help from a dietitian to lose weight/not gain weight? In the past 12 months, did you seek help from a nutritionist to lose weight/not gain weight? |
Eating only two meals | Skipped meals to lose weight/to not gain weight. |
Increased intake of fruits and vegetables | Eating more fruits and vegetables to lose weight/not gain weight. |
Fat reduction | What kind of diet are you on? Is it a low-fat or low-cholesterol diet? Eating less fat to lose weight/not gain weight. |
NHANES, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.