Nicholas J Marchello1, Christine M Daley2, Debra K Sullivan3, Heather V Nelson-Brantley4, Jinxiang Hu5, Heather D Gibbs6. 1. School of Nutrition, Kinesiology, and Psychological Science, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO. 2. Department of Family Medicine Research, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS. 3. Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS. 4. School of Nursing, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS. 5. Department of Biostatistics and Data Science, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS. 6. Department of Dietetics and Nutrition, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City, KS. Electronic address: hgibbs@kumc.edu.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Nutrition literacy examines the intersection of nutrition knowledge and skills; however, no evidence shows interventions tailored to nutrition literacy deficits affect diet behaviors. This study examined the effects of nutrition interventions tailored to individual nutrition literacy deficits on improving diet-related behaviors. METHODS: Five outpatient clinics were randomized to 2 arms. The nutrition literacy and diet behaviors of patients were assessed before intervention with a dietitian and again 1 month later. Intervention-arm dietitians received patient nutrition literacy levels and tailored interventions toward nutrition literacy weaknesses. Differences in diet behaviors between arms were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U-tests and within-arms using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. RESULTS: Intervention-arm patients improved 10 of 25 measured diet behaviors; control-arm patients improved 6 behaviors. Similarly, intervention-arm patients reported increased green vegetable consumption from baseline to follow-up (z = 2.00; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Nutrition interventions tailored toward nutrition literacy deficits may play an important role in improving patient diet behaviors.
OBJECTIVES: Nutrition literacy examines the intersection of nutrition knowledge and skills; however, no evidence shows interventions tailored to nutrition literacy deficits affect diet behaviors. This study examined the effects of nutrition interventions tailored to individual nutrition literacy deficits on improving diet-related behaviors. METHODS: Five outpatient clinics were randomized to 2 arms. The nutrition literacy and diet behaviors of patients were assessed before intervention with a dietitian and again 1 month later. Intervention-arm dietitians received patient nutrition literacy levels and tailored interventions toward nutrition literacy weaknesses. Differences in diet behaviors between arms were analyzed using Mann-Whitney U-tests and within-arms using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. RESULTS: Intervention-arm patients improved 10 of 25 measured diet behaviors; control-arm patients improved 6 behaviors. Similarly, intervention-arm patients reported increased green vegetable consumption from baseline to follow-up (z = 2.00; P = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Nutrition interventions tailored toward nutrition literacy deficits may play an important role in improving patient diet behaviors.