Objectives: Interventions to increase fruit and vegetable intake among community-dwelling older people have shown mixed effects. We investigated whether an intervention based on an initial multidimensional health risk assessment and subsequent physician-lead nutrition counselling has favourable effects on dietary intake among community-dwelling older people.
Design: Randomised controlled trial comparing the intervention versus usual care.
Setting and participants: Non-disabled persons aged 65 years or older at an ambulatory geriatric clinic in Bucharest, Romania, allocated to intervention (n=100) and control (n=100) groups.
Intervention: Participants received a computer-generated health profile report based on answers to a health risk assessment questionnaire, followed by monthly individual counselling sessions with a geriatrician on topics related to health promotion and disease prevention, with a special focus on adequate fruit and vegetable consumption.
Measurements: Fruit and vegetable intake at baseline and at 6-month follow-up.
Results: At baseline, fruit and vegetable intake was below the recommended five portions per day in most study participants (85% in the intervention group, and 86% among controls, respectively). At six months, intake increased in the intervention group from a median of 3.8 to 4.6 portions per day, and decreased in the control group due to a seasonal effect from a median of 3.8 to 3.1 portions per day. At six months, fruit and vegetable consumption was significantly higher among persons in the intervention group as compared to controls (median difference 1.4 portions per day, 95% confidence interval 1.1-1.7, p<0.001).
Conclusion: Personalised food-based dietary guidance, delivered as part of multidimensional preventive health counselling during geriatric clinic visits, results in relevant improvement of fruit and vegetable intake in community-dwelling older adults.
Keywords: Fruit and vegetable intake; Mediterranean diet; fibre intake; health counselling; health risk assessment.