Celiac Disease School for Women Living on a Gluten-free Diet

Structured Education of Swedish Celiac Women Living on a Gluten-free Diet for Years

Swedish celiac disease women living on a gluten-free diet for years report poorer subjective health and more bowel complaints than Swedish women of same age in general population.

The investigators hypothesis is that the women participating in an education programme based on problem based learning will show higher degree of perceived health than the women receiving usual care.

Celiac disease is a disorder of the small intestines triggered by dietary gluten, a protein in wheat-containing foods. Living with is far from easy and associated with restrictions and various dilemmas in daily life, leading to depressed mood and reduced well-being, particularly in women. We decided to include 100 celiac disease women on a gluten-free diet into a randomized controlled education trial in order to compare problem-based learning with usual care. Outcome measures will be two frequently employed questionnaires: PGWB (Psychological Well-being Index) to monitor Well-being and GSRS (Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale) to measure the rate bowel symptoms as assessed at 6 months after the intervention.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Women aged 20 yrs or above with Celiac disease treated for at least five years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Anticipated inability to comply the trial protocol