MoreLife Factors that influence diet and physical activity behaviours of adults living with cystic fibrosis and overweight on Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator Modulator Therapies; a mixed methods study (The More Life with CF Study)

Cystic Fibrosis (CF) is a condition that some people are born with. It causes lung failure, digestive problems, and a shorter life expectancy. People with CF (PwCF) are advised to eat a high calorie diet. This diet has helped PwCF to become well-nourished and live longer. However, some PwCF are now becoming overweight. This is because new treatments called Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) therapies are helping to treat CF, and reducing the need for a high calorie diet. PwCF now need to adopt a diet lower in calories and become more active. This will help them to manage their weight and reduce their risk of developing additional health problems such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. This study aims to find out what people living with cystic fibrosis and who are overweight eat, how active they are, and what influences their eating and activity habits. To do this we will ask a group of 60 people living with CF and overweight who attend adult CF centres at Hospitals in Birmingham and Sheffield to record what they eat for 4 days, using a smart phone app or paper food diary. They will also wear an activity monitor on their wrist for 2 weeks. We will then invite a range of 20-30 participants in terms of age, sex, and health, to be interviewed about what influences how they eat and how active they are. The themes that emerge from the interviews and the food and activity data will help us to understand what the challenges are in adopting a healthy diet and being more active for PwCF. These results will be used to design, with PwCF a weight management programme specifically for PwCF. This research project is funded by the NIHR as part of a Doctoral fellowship.