Blood lipid levels similar with computer-tailored and generic educational nutrition programs
TUESDAY, Sept. 13 (HealthDay News) -- Use of a computer-tailored nutrition education intervention does not affect blood lipid levels any differently than generic nutrition information, according to a study published in the September issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.
Willemieke Kroeze, Ph.D., from the Vrije University Medical Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands, and colleagues investigated the effectiveness of a computer-tailored nutrition education program aimed at reduced saturated fat intake on objective outcome measures in 442 healthy Dutch adults. The participants were randomized into three groups to receive computer-tailored interventions using CD-ROM, computer-tailored education in print, or generic nutrition information. Tests were performed at one and six months post-intervention. Blood lipid levels (total, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triacylglycerol), measured by analyzing venous blood samples, were the outcomes measured.
The investigators found that the three intervention groups did not differ significantly in total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triacylglycerol.
"Contrary to results based on self-report data, no effects of the computer-tailored interventions were found based on objective outcomes. This contradiction calls for a critical reflection on the use of computer-tailored nutrition education interventions and the need to improve those interventions," the authors write.
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