Date of Award:

5-2026

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Sciences

Committee Chair(s)

Getrude Mphwanthe

Committee

Getrude Mphwanthe

Committee

Korry Hintze

Committee

Carrie Durward

Abstract

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) may increase the risk of malnutrition because of nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and restrictive eating. In addition, patients with IBD may experience food and nutrition insecurity. Therefore, we conducted an online survey to assess risk of malnutrition and food and nutrition insecurity among adult patients with IBD in outpatient and community settings. Patients were recruited between July and December 2025, aiming to reach adults in the Rocky Mountain Region diagnosed with IBD. Data collected included demographics, health-related factors, risk of nutrition insecurity, risk of food insecurity, and barriers and facilitators to dietary management of IBD.

Fifty-seven patients with IBD participated in this study. Sixty-three percent of patients were at high risk for malnutrition, 28% at medium risk, and 9% at low risk. Overall, 61% of participants were at risk for nutrition insecurity and 77% were at risk for food insecurity. Risk of malnutrition was positively correlated with food insecurity, nutrition insecurity, following a special diet, and bowel resection surgery. The facilitators to dietary management included social and medical support, availability of digital tools/apps, food/trigger awareness and stress/mental health management. The barriers to dietary management of IBD included food access/expense and limited nutrition knowledge.

From these findings, risk of malnutrition and food and nutrition insecurity is a problem among IBD patients especially those in outpatient and community settings. Therefore, this study underscores the importance of implementing community nutrition interventions to alleviate the burden of malnutrition and other social determinants of health.

Checksum

24818dcb752b1e7a712ca6e88152e150

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Download

Included in

Nutrition Commons

Share

COinS

Copyright for this work is retained by the student. If you have any questions regarding the inclusion of this work in the Digital Commons, please email us at .