Impacts of Grief on Eating Behaviors: Perspectives of Nutritionists from Greater Florianópolis

Authors

• Ítala Sabrina Fernandes Freire de Sousa Universidade do Vale do Itajaí - Univali https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1347-7114
• Gustavo da Silva Machado Universidade do Vale do Itajaí - Univali https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3744-3115

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17058/6enmxb03

Keywords:

Grief, eating behavior, eating disorders, nutritionists, interdisciplinarity

Abstract

Introduction: This study aimed to understand the impacts of the grieving process on eating behaviors from the perspective of nutritionists, investigating how loss shapes an individual’s relationship with food and highlighting the need for an interprofessional approach to comprehensive care. Objective: to understand how the grieving process influences eating behaviors from the perspective of nutritionists in Greater Florianópolis Method: A qualitative and exploratory study conducted through semi-structured interviews with six nutritionists working in clinical practice in Greater Florianópolis. The interviews were held online, using snowball sampling and data collection until saturation, and were analyzed using Bardin’s Content Analysis technique. Results: Five central themes were identified: (a) clinical indicators of suffering in the context of grief, such as hyperphagia, loss of appetite, and disordered eating; (b) supportive practices, including active listening, rapport-building, and interprofessional referrals; (c) gaps in training and professional practice; (d) psychosocial impacts of grief; and (e) interprofessional intervention strategies. The findings indicate that nutritionists do not limit themselves to dietary assessment, recognizing emotional demands that require dialogue with other health professions. Conclusion: Grief significantly affects an individual’s relationship with food, reinforcing the need for comprehensive, humanized, and interprofessional practices that broaden care possibilities and strengthen collaboration among nutrition, psychology, and psychiatry.

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