Understanding How Nutrition Literacy Links to Dietary Adherence in Patients Undergoing Maintenance Hemodialysis: A Theoretical Exploration using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling

Dietary non-adherence is pervasive in the hemodialysis (HD) population. Health literacy is a plausible predictor of dietary adherence in HD patients, but its putative mechanism is scarcely studied. Thus, this study aimed to establish the causal model linking nutrition literacy to dietary adherence in the HD population. This was a multi-centre, cross-sectional study, involving 218 randomly selected multi-ethnic HD patients from nine dialysis centres in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Dietary adherence and self-management skills were assessed using validated End-Stage Renal Disease Adherence Questionnaire and Perceived Kidney/Dialysis Self-Management Scale, respectively. Validated self-developed scales were used to gauge nutrition literacy, dietary knowledge and Health Belief Model constructs. Relationships between variables were examined by multiple linear regressions and partial least squares structural equation modeling. Limited nutrition literacy was evident in 46.3% of the HD patients, associated with older age, lower education level, and shorter dialysis vintage. Dietary adherence rate was at 34.9%. Nutrition literacy (β = 0.390, p < 0.001) was an independent predictor of dietary adherence, mediated by self-efficacy (SIE = 0.186, BC 95% CI 0.110–0.280) and self-management skills (SIE = 0.192, BC 95% CI 0.103–0.304). Thus, nutrition literacy-enhancing strategies targeting self-efficacy and self-management skills should be considered to enhance dietary adherence in the HD population.