Impact of a Behavioral Intervention on Diet, Eating Patterns, Self-Efficacy, and Social Support

Matthew Lee Smith; Shinduk Lee; Samuel D Towne Jr; Gang Han; Cindy Quinn; Ninfa C Peña-Purcell; Marcia G Ory

doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2019.06.008

Impact of a Behavioral Intervention on Diet, Eating Patterns, Self-Efficacy, and Social Support

J Nutr Educ Behav. 2020 Feb;52(2):180-186. doi: 10.1016/j.jneb.2019.06.008. Epub 2019 Sep 17.

Authors

Matthew Lee Smith¹, Shinduk Lee², Samuel D Towne Jr³, Gang Han⁴, Cindy Quinn², Ninfa C Peña-Purcell⁵, Marcia G Ory⁶

Affiliations

¹ Center for Population Health and Aging, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, College of Public Health, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA. Electronic address: matthew.smith@tamu.edu.
² Center for Population Health and Aging, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
³ Center for Population Health and Aging, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; Department of Health Management & Informatics, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL; Aging & Technology Faculty Cluster Initiative, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL.
⁴ Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
⁵ Center for Population Health and Aging, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; Family and Community Health, AgriLife Extension Service, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.
⁶ Center for Population Health and Aging, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX; Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, School of Public Health, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX.

PMID: 31540863
DOI: 10.1016/j.jneb.2019.06.008

Abstract

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of a structured multimodal behavioral intervention to change dietary behaviors, as well as self-efficacy and social support for engaging in healthier diets.

Methods: A quasi-experimental design was used to assign sites into intervention and comparison groups. Data were collected at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months. The intervention group participated in Texercise Select, a 12-week lifestyle enhancement program. Multiple mixed-effects models were used to examine nutrition-related changes over time.

Results: For the intervention group, significant improvements were observed for fast food consumption (P = .011), fruit/vegetable consumption (P = .008), water consumption (P = .009), and social support (P < .001) from baseline to 3 months. The magnitude of these improvements was significantly greater than changes in the comparison group.

Conclusions and implications: Findings suggest the intervention's ability to improve diet-related outcomes among older adults; however, additional efforts are needed to maintain changes over longer periods.

Keywords: evidence-based program; healthy diet; intervention; lifestyle; program evaluation.

MeSH terms

Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Diet, Healthy / statistics & numerical data*
Female
Fruit
Health Behavior / physiology
Health Promotion / methods*
Humans
Life Style
Male
Self Efficacy*
Social Support*
Vegetables