Although some study has been made into quality of life in patients with peritoneal dialysis, little is known about how this relates to social support. The aim of this paper was to study health-related quality of life, perceived social support and the experiences of people receiving peritoneal dialysis. A cross-sectional study was conducted using quantitative and qualitative methodologies, between June 2015 and March 2017. Fifty-five patients receiving peritoneal dialysis were studied. The most affected quality of life dimensions were the effects of the disease, the burden of the disease, occupational status, sleep and satisfaction. The physical component of the quality of life questionnaire was negatively associated with the number of hospital admissions over the previous year (p = 0.027) and positively associated with social support (p = 0.002). With regard to the mental component, age (p = 0.010) and social support (p = 0.041) were associated with a better quality of life. Peritoneal dialysis, while not a panacea, is experienced as being less aggressive than hemodialysis, allowing greater autonomy and improved perceived health. Greater symptomology corresponded to worse quality of life and to perceiving the disease as a burden. Patients had to adapt to the new situation despite their expectations. Social support was observed to be a key factor in perceived quality of life.

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The quality of life, morbidity and mortality of people receiving renal replacement therapy is affected both by the renal disease itself and its treatment. The therapy that best improves renal function and quality of life is transplantation. Objectives: To study the quality of life, morbidity and mortality of people receiving renal replacement therapy over a five-year period. Design: A longitudinal multicentre study of a cohort of people with chronic kidney disease. Methods: Patients from the Girona health area receiving peritoneal dialysis were studied, gathering data on sociodemographic and clinical variables through an ad hoc questionnaire, quality of life using the SF-36 questionnaire, and social support with the MOS scale. Results: Mortality was 47.2%. Physical functioning was the variable that worsened most in comparison with the first measurement (p = 0.035). Those receiving peritoneal dialysis (p = 0.068) and transplant recipients (p = 0.083) had a better general health perception. The social functioning of transplant recipients improved (p = 0.008). Conclusions: People with chronic kidney disease had a high level of mortality. The dimension of physical functioning worsens over the years. Haemodialysis is the therapy that most negatively effects general health perception. Kidney transplantation has a positive effect on the dimensions of energy/vitality, social functioning and general health perception.

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes (DM2) is a highly prevalent, fatal and costly disease. Sedentary behaviour and physical inactivity are two of the main modifiable factors that contribute to its development. The use of mobile health (mHealth) applications in clinical practice implies new strategies in the control and management of DM2. However, the effect of their use on clinical variables, sedentary behaviour, physical inactivity and cardiovascular risk factors is not clear. OBJECTIVE This study evaluated the efficacy of an mhealth programme to “sit less and move more” at work –prescribed from clinical practice– on clinical variables and cardiovascular risk factors in office staff with DM2. METHODS A randomized controlled trial compared usual care (n=50) with an mhealth programme to sit less and move more. The intervention group (n=49), in addition to standard care, received an automated mobile phone Walk@Work-Application (W@W-App) and web-based intervention for 13 weeks that focused on decreasing and breaking up prolonged occupational sitting time in desk-based office employees. They were recruited in five primary health care centres (April 2019 to January 2020) in the metropolitan area of Barcelona (Spain). The main variables included glycemic control, HbA1c concentration, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides, which were measured by blood tests before the intervention and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. The systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), body mass index (BMI), physical activity level and sedentary behaviour (ActivPal device, Workforce Sitting Questionnaire) were measured before and after the intervention and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. The results obtained from both groups were compared using a t-test for continuous variables and a chi-square test for qualitative variables. RESULTS In comparison with the control group, the participants in the intervention group had significant and clinically relevant reduction rates for glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c; ≤-0.5%), glycemia (p < 0.01), triglyceride levels (p < 0.01), SBP and DBP (p < 0.01) at the 12-month follow-up. There were also reductions in sitting time while at work at the 6- (p <0.01) and 12-month follow-ups (p<0.05) and in sitting time outside working hours on workdays doing leisure activities at the 6- and 12-month follow-ups (p<0.05). CONCLUSIONS An mhealth programme focused on decreasing and breaking up prolonged occupational sitting time in desk-based office employees was effective in the control of clinical variables and cardiovascular risk factors in adults with DM2. These types of programmes can be used as an affordable complementary method to facilitate positive health behaviour changes and prevent and control cardiovascular diseases in adults with DM2 from clinical practice. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04092738. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04092738 INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT RR2-10.1186/s12889-022-13676-x