Open AccessA randomised trial of the short‐term effect of a minimal nutrition intervention in general practice
Author(s) -
Hickling Siobhan,
Knuiman Matthew,
Jamrozik Konrad,
Hung Joseph
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
australian and new zealand journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.946
H-Index - 76
eISSN - 1753-6405
pISSN - 1326-0200
DOI - 10.1111/j.1753-6405.2007.00110.x
Subject(s) - medicine , intervention (counseling) , randomized controlled trial , nutrition education , baseline (sea) , physical therapy , gerontology , environmental health , nursing , oceanography , geology
Objective:To test the effectiveness of a minimal nutrition intervention to increase dietary intake of folate.Method:Randomised controlled trial in the general practice setting of personalised, face‐to‐face feedback with educational materials to increase dietary intake of folate.Results:One hundred and nine intervention and 94 control subjects completed baseline and follow‐up assessments within the study period. At baseline (August‐October 2004), there were no significant differences in folate intake scores between the intervention and control groups. At the eight‐week follow‐up, the mean folate intake score in the intervention group was significantly higher than in the control group, indicating that the nutrition intervention significantly increased reported dietary intake of folate.Conclusion:Presenting individual dietary feedback in conjunction with educational materials in the general practice setting is an effective way of changing dietary behaviour.Implications:The present study suggests a way in which health‐related dietary change may be encouraged on a large scale without incurring a large cost.