Principal Investigator: Professor Alice Smith
Study start date: July 2018
Around 1 in 10 people in the UK have some form of a kidney condition. Having a problem with the kidney(s) does not just affect the body’s ability to clean the blood, people also suffer from troublesome symptoms and feel tired and weak which can make normal daily activities more difficult. Having a kidney condition can have big changes on people’s lifestyle such as their diet and the amount of physical activity they do.
DIMENSION-KD is a prospective observational cross-sectional study which aims to establish the effect and associations of kidney disease and different patient characteristics, such as body composition, lifestyle factors, such as diet and physical activity, and investigate the impact on their quality of life (QoL) and physical functioning. This information will be fundamental in identifying the needs of kidney patients, and in the development of a future multi-inclusive lifestyle intervention package.
Patients with established kidney disease (stages 1 to 5) are eligible, including people with a kidney transplant. The study is made up of 3 parts:
- Part A – Patients complete a survey pack made up of different questionnaires designed to identify lifestyle determinants and factors associated with living with kidney disease, and the impact on (and of) a patients dietary intake, physical function, symptoms, QoL, disease management, and physical activity;
- Part B (optional) – Patients attend the hospital for an additional visit to further explore and detail body composition, including muscle mass and quality properties, objective physical function and strength, molecular biomarkers, and physical activity;
- Part C (optional) – Patients are invited to attend a semi-structured interview to qualitatively explore the ‘living’ experience and impact of KD on lifestyle and QoL.
With consent, patients’ clinical records will be accessed annually for up to 3 years following the return of the survey pack in Part A to gather data on health service usage, disease progression, and clinical outcome.
COVID-19 update: We have added DIME-CV which is an online survey about the impact of the pandemic on kidney patients’ lifestyles and access to healthcare. Some of the participants will also have a qualitative interview to explore the issues in more depth.
This is open to people with kidney disease (including those with a kidney transplant), their significant others (eg people who live with them) and healthcare professionals involved in kidney care. It’s a multicentre study including UHL and 10 external sites across the whole of England.
For more information, contact 0116 258 4346 or kidney.exercise@uhl-tr.nhs.uk