PD235 - EMOTIONAL EATING AFTER CRITICAL ILLNESS

PD235

EMOTIONAL EATING AFTER CRITICAL ILLNESS

E. Terblanche^1,*, H. Majid^1,2, H. Khan¹, S. Vogel³

¹Health Sciences University, Bournemouth, United Kingdom, ²Centre for Population Health, University of Malaya , Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, ³Health Sciences University, London, United Kingdom

Rationale: Persistent barriers to adequate nutritional intake are common among adult survivors of critical illness after hospital discharge, yet nutrition rehabilitation remains under-recognised within post-ICU recovery. A greater understanding of lived experiences is needed to inform person-centred dietetic interventions. This study aimed to explore how survivors of critical illness describe, interpret, and navigate their nutritional recovery after hospital discharge

Methods: This qualitative study used narrative inquiry to elicit participants’ lived experiences through in-depth interviews. Participants were recruited through convenience sampling, and sample size guided by information power. Reflexive thematic analysis was used. This abstract presents one theme from the wider study: Emotional eating after critical illness

Results: Sixteen participants were included (median age 53 years; median of 2.4 years since discharge). For many, their emotional relationship with foodwas profoundly shaped by the trauma of the ICU stay. Food became emotionally charged, a coping strategy, a source of comfort or at times, a trigger rather than a response to physical hunger. Eating was framed as a means of emotional relief, helping self-soothe distress associated with post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. For some, pre-existing concerns around food and weight shaped post-ICU eating experiences, increasing vulnerability to emotional eating during periods of psychological distress. Current services were also described as insufficient to address these challenges

Conclusion: Previous research focused on restoring nutritional intake and reversing malnutrition; this theme suggests critical illness reshapes survivors’ psychological relationship with food, extending the focus beyond physiological rehabilitation. Post -ICU services should adopt trauma-informed, person-centred approaches that address emotional, and behavioural barriers to eating well

Disclosure of Interest: E. Terblanche Grant / Research Support from: The study was funded by the Health Sciences University postgraduate programme, which had no role in study design, analysis, or manuscript preparation , H. Majid: None declared, H. Khan: None declared, S. Vogel: None declared