OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the costs and impact of a nutrition education program following a cholesterol screening. METHODS:Forty work-sites were randomly assigned to one of two educational interventions: a "usual" intervention of 5 minutes of counseling, or a "special" intervention of 2 hours of behaviorally based education on dietary changes to lower serum cholesterol. Costs were monitored, and cholesterol levels were retested 6 and 12 months later. RESULTS: The total per-person cost for screening and the educational intervention was about $50. Cholesterol levels differed little between the two intervention groups 6 months after screening, but after 12 months those in the special intervention worksites showed a 6.5% drop in cholesterol, whereas those at the usual intervention worksites showed a drop of only 3.0%. Hence a 3.5% cholesterol reduction was attributable to the special intervention. CONCLUSIONS: A behaviorally based nutrition education program following cholesterol screening can have a meaningful impact on long-term cholesterol levels at a low cost. Nutrition education in work-sites may therefore be a useful way to lower the risk of heart disease in communities.
RCT Entities:
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the costs and impact of a nutrition education program following a cholesterol screening. METHODS: Forty work-sites were randomly assigned to one of two educational interventions: a "usual" intervention of 5 minutes of counseling, or a "special" intervention of 2 hours of behaviorally based education on dietary changes to lower serum cholesterol. Costs were monitored, and cholesterol levels were retested 6 and 12 months later. RESULTS: The total per-person cost for screening and the educational intervention was about $50. Cholesterol levels differed little between the two intervention groups 6 months after screening, but after 12 months those in the special intervention worksites showed a 6.5% drop in cholesterol, whereas those at the usual intervention worksites showed a drop of only 3.0%. Hence a 3.5% cholesterol reduction was attributable to the special intervention. CONCLUSIONS: A behaviorally based nutrition education program following cholesterol screening can have a meaningful impact on long-term cholesterol levels at a low cost. Nutrition education in work-sites may therefore be a useful way to lower the risk of heart disease in communities.
Authors: Lee Hooper; Carolyn D Summerbell; Rachel Thompson; Deirdre Sills; Felicia G Roberts; Helen J Moore; George Davey Smith Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2012-05-16
Authors: Lee Hooper; Carolyn D Summerbell; Rachel Thompson; Deirdre Sills; Felicia G Roberts; Helen Moore; George Davey Smith Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2011-07-06
Authors: Lee Hooper; Nicole Martin; Oluseyi F Jimoh; Christian Kirk; Eve Foster; Asmaa S Abdelhamid Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2020-08-21
Authors: Lee Hooper; Nicole Martin; Oluseyi F Jimoh; Christian Kirk; Eve Foster; Asmaa S Abdelhamid Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2020-05-19
Authors: Naomi Sacks; Howard Cabral; Lewis E Kazis; Kelli M Jarrett; Delia Vetter; Russell Richmond; Thomas J Moore Journal: J Med Internet Res Date: 2009-10-23 Impact factor: 5.428