To evaluate the efficacy of behavioral counseling combined with technology-based self-monitoring for sodium restriction in hemodialysis (HD) patients. Randomized clinical trial. English literate adults undergoing outpatient, in-center intermittent HD for at least 3 months. Over a 16-week period, both the intervention and the attention control groups were shown 6 educational modules on the HD diet. The intervention group also received social cognitive theory-based behavioral counseling and monitored their diets daily using handheld computers. Average daily interdialytic weight gain (IDWGA) was calculated for every week of HD treatment over the observation period by subtracting the post-dialysis weight at the previous treatment time (t-1) from the pre-dialysis weight at the current treatment time (t), dividing by the number of days between treatments. Three 24-hour dietary recalls were obtained at baseline, 8weeks, and 16weeks and evaluated using the Nutrient Data System for Research. A total of 179 participants were randomized, and 160 (89.4%) completed final measurements. IDWGA did not differ significantly by treatment group at any time point considered (P>.79 for each). A significant differential change in dietary sodium intake observed at 8weeks (-372mg/day; P=.05) was not sustained at 16weeks (-191mg/day; P=.32). The BalanceWise Study intervention appeared to be feasible and acceptable to HD patients although IDWGA was unchanged and the desired behavioral changes observed at 8weeks were not sustained. Unmeasured factors may have contributed to the mixed findings, and further research is needed to identify the appropriate patients for such interventions.
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