Abstract
OBJECTIVE:
To assess the impact of a 3-month follow-up of a 6-month quasi-experimental study conducted to evaluate a web-based, tailored-feedback intervention promoting four key components of the Mediterranean diet.
METHODS:
Fifty-three (intervention) and nineteen (control) healthy females, 25-55 years, employed at two Universities in Glasgow, Scotland, between 2003 and 2004 participated. Participants received tailored dietary and psychosocial feedback and Internet education, or minimal dietary feedback and general healthy-eating brochures, respectively. Dietary intake using 7d-estimated food diaries and blood lipids were assessed at baseline, 6 (post-test) and 9 months (follow-up).
RESULTS:
Intention-to-treat analyses for between-group comparisons over time showed that the intervention group had increased their vegetable intake over 9 months and had more favourable levels of HDL-cholesterol and ratio of total:HDL-cholesterol over the 9-month assessment, compared with the control group. Within-group comparisons showed that, except for fruit consumption, the intervention group sustained their dietary improvement at 9 months, compared with baseline.
CONCLUSION:
This intervention proved successful at sustaining most of the favourable dietary and blood lipid profile changes achieved over the 6-month intervention at the 3-month follow-up.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:
This intervention can be effective in promoting a Mediterranean-style diet in work settings.
To assess the impact of a 3-month follow-up of a 6-month quasi-experimental study conducted to evaluate a web-based, tailored-feedback intervention promoting four key components of the Mediterranean diet.
METHODS:
Fifty-three (intervention) and nineteen (control) healthy females, 25-55 years, employed at two Universities in Glasgow, Scotland, between 2003 and 2004 participated. Participants received tailored dietary and psychosocial feedback and Internet education, or minimal dietary feedback and general healthy-eating brochures, respectively. Dietary intake using 7d-estimated food diaries and blood lipids were assessed at baseline, 6 (post-test) and 9 months (follow-up).
RESULTS:
Intention-to-treat analyses for between-group comparisons over time showed that the intervention group had increased their vegetable intake over 9 months and had more favourable levels of HDL-cholesterol and ratio of total:HDL-cholesterol over the 9-month assessment, compared with the control group. Within-group comparisons showed that, except for fruit consumption, the intervention group sustained their dietary improvement at 9 months, compared with baseline.
CONCLUSION:
This intervention proved successful at sustaining most of the favourable dietary and blood lipid profile changes achieved over the 6-month intervention at the 3-month follow-up.
PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:
This intervention can be effective in promoting a Mediterranean-style diet in work settings.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 256-63 |
| Number of pages | 8 |
| Journal | Patient Education and Counseling |
| Volume | 73 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2008 |