Bhargava Alok, Hays Jennifer
Department of Economics, University of Houston, Houston, TX 77204-5019, USA.
Prev Med. 2004 Apr;38(4):442-51. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2003.11.014.
Reducing the intakes of fats and increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables are an important goal for improving population health. Analyzing the effects of nutrition education programs on subjects' dietary intakes incorporating factors such as habit persistence in diets, unhealthy eating habits, perceptions of health risks, participation motivation, and expectancies can yield useful insights.
A Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) was used to measure intakes at baseline, 6 and 12 months, by 318 and 548 postmenopausal women in, respectively, the Control and Intervention groups of the Women's Health Trial: Feasibility Study in Minority Populations (WHTFSMP). Information on background, behavioral, and anthropometric variables was collected. The Intervention group met in classes led by nutritionists. Dynamic random effects models were estimated for the two groups using the data at baseline, 6 and 12 months on the intakes of carbohydrate, saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated fats, fiber, beta-carotene, ascorbic acid, and calcium.
The nutrition education program lowered the intakes of fats while increasing fiber, beta-carotene, and ascorbic acid intakes especially in subjects scoring high on indices reflecting concerns about health, desirability of change, and participation motivation. In addition, subjects' education was a predictor of dietary intakes in the Intervention group.
Nutrition education can be an effective tool for improving diets, but behavioral characteristics deserve greater attention in helping to design the most effective approaches for various target groups.
减少脂肪摄入量并增加水果和蔬菜的消费量是改善人群健康的重要目标。分析营养教育项目对受试者饮食摄入量的影响，纳入饮食中的习惯持续性、不健康饮食习惯、健康风险认知、参与动机和期望等因素，可产生有用的见解。
在“女性健康试验：少数民族人群可行性研究”（WHTFSMP）的对照组和干预组中，分别有318名和548名绝经后女性，使用食物频率问卷（FFQ）在基线、6个月和12个月时测量摄入量。收集了有关背景、行为和人体测量变量的信息。干预组参加由营养师授课的课程。使用基线、6个月和12个月时碳水化合物、饱和脂肪、单不饱和脂肪、多不饱和脂肪、纤维、β-胡萝卜素、抗坏血酸和钙摄入量的数据，对两组估计动态随机效应模型。
营养教育项目降低了脂肪摄入量，同时增加了纤维、β-胡萝卜素和抗坏血酸的摄入量，尤其是在那些在反映对健康的关注、改变的愿望和参与动机的指标上得分较高的受试者中。此外，受试者的教育程度是干预组饮食摄入量的一个预测因素。
营养教育可以成为改善饮食的有效工具，但在帮助为不同目标群体设计最有效的方法时，行为特征值得更多关注。
