Recorded presentation

Gladys Block, PhD¹, Patricia Wakimoto, RD, DrPH¹, Diane Metz, BA², Mary Fujii, MS, RD³, Nancy Feldman, MS⁴, Rochelle Mandel, BS¹, and Barbara Sutherland, PhD⁵. (1) School of Public Health, University of California at Berkeley, 140 Warren Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, (510) 643-7896, gblock@berkeley.edu, (2) University of California, Solano County Cooperative Extension, 501 Texas Street, Fairfield, CA 94533, (3) Contra Costa County, UC Cooperative Extension, 75 Santa Barbara Rd. (2nd floor), Pleasant Hill, CA 94523, (4) Nutrition, UC Davis, 3800 Cornucopia Way, Modesto, CA 95358, (5) Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program, University of California, Davis, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis, CA 95615-8783

Background: Current recommendations for chronic disease prevention include increasing consumption of fruits and vegetables. We tested the effectiveness of a single 15-minute interaction with a CD-ROM program to improve fruit and vegetable intake. Methods: Low-income African American and NonHispanic White women (n=481, mean age 50.2 years) participated in a three-arm randomized controlled study. Subjects were randomized to receive one of three intervention conditions: 1) the Little by Little CD-ROM plus two phone reminders over the following two months; 2) the Little by Little CD-ROM without reminder calls; 3) a stress-reduction CD-ROM. Subjects completed baseline assessments of knowledge, Stage of Change, and dietary intake, and follow-up assessments two months later. Fruit and vegetable intake was assessed using a modified 24-hour recall of all fruits, vegetables and juices consumed by the respondent, based on the California Dietary Practices Survey instrument. Results: Controlling for baseline fruit/vegetable intake, both Little by Little treatment groups had significantly greater increase in fruits and vegetables compared with the control group: The intervention group that included reminder calls had an 86% increase over that experienced by the control group (an increase of 1.32 occurrences per day, p=0.016). The intervention group without reminder calls had a 69% increase, 1.20 occurrences, p=0.052 compared with controls. The two intervention groups were not statistically significantly different from one another (p=0.59). There was also significant increase in Stage of Change in intervention group #1. Conclusion: This brief intervention was effective, and may be feasible in public health and primary care settings.

Learning Objectives:

• The participant will be able to recognize the advantages of a brief, computer-based dietary intervention in community-based nutrition education programs in achieving behavior change.

Keywords: Computer-Assisted, Primary Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

Recorded presentation