The Impact of Online Dietary Assessment to Efficiency of Nutrition Counseling: A Pilot

Nutrition counseling is an important intervention for many chronic diseases and dietary assessment is a crucial component of any initial nutrition counseling visit. Although necessary, the process of collecting a detailed dietary assessment is time consuming and, in turn, decreases the amount of time available for nutrition education and goal setting. The objective of this study was to examine whether an online dietary assessment completed prior to a nutrition counseling visit was related to more efficient nutrition counseling visits. Methods Twenty‐six adults were recruited out of primary care centers and were randomized to either the pre‐assessment group (n=13) or the control group (n=13). Participants in both groups then attended 2 nutrition counseling visits with registered dietitians in a local grocery store. The pre‐assessment group completed an online food frequency questionnaire prior to their first visit with the dietitian, to which the dietitian had access prior to the initial visit. The control group did not complete a dietary assessment before their visit. Following each visit, the dietitians reported the time spent on assessment, education, goal setting, and aisle tours, as well as the specific topics covered during the education portion. A depth score was also used to estimate the average depth of each of the topic covered in the session (1=basic introduction, 4=skill mastery activities). Results Participants who completed the online dietary assessment questionnaire experienced a more in‐depth nutrition educational experience as a result of the detailed preliminary report. When compared to the control group, the provision of the dietary intake assessment questionnaire resulted in significantly less time spent on assessment (14 vs. 19 minutes) and significantly more time spent on education (33 vs. 26 minutes) and goal setting (13 vs. 11 minutes) during the initial 1 hour session. Although the dietitians reported a shorter time spent on dietary assessment during the visit, they also reported spending an average of 13 minutes reviewing the online assessments prior to the visit. Those who completed the assessment prior to their visits had a greater mean number of topics covered, as well as a greater average depth score. Discussion Completing a dietary assessment prior to the initial nutrition counseling visit allowed for a more efficient visit with the dietitian. More time was spent on education and goal setting and the breadth and depth of the initial visit was greater for those in the pre‐assessment group. Requesting that patients complete a detailed dietary assessment prior to their nutrition counseling visits may be a feasible method for improving nutrition care, however additional research testing this model on a wider scale is necessary. Support or Funding Information The Ohio State University Food Innovation Center