Desired Resources for Changing Diet Among Persons with Multiple Sclerosis: Qualitative Inquiry Informing Future Dietary Interventions

Abstract Background: There are approximately 1 million adults in the United States with multiple sclerosis (MS). Persons with MS are interested in diet as a second-line therapy for improving MS symptoms and disease progression. Examination of desired resources regarding diet among persons with MS is necessary for supporting behavior change. Methods: Twenty-five adults with MS completed one-on-one, online semistructured interviews. An inductive, six-phase, semantic thematic analysis was applied for identifying themes associated with participant preferences for dietary behavior change. Results: The research team crafted four key themes from the data that encompassed participants’ desired resources for dietary behavior change. Theme 1, MS-specific evidence, involved the need for clear information about the impact of diet regimens or specific foods on MS. Theme 2, dietary guidelines, was related to guidelines provided by a reliable source such as a registered dietitian. Theme 3, behavioral supports, underscored the need for support for behavior change, including accountability, self-monitoring, motivation, habituation, and incremental changes. Theme 4, diet resources, highlighted tangible resources for supporting dietary change, including recipes, food lists, meal services, or games. Conclusions: This study provides a foundation for guiding dietary interventions for persons with MS that incorporates their needs and preferences and could improve their overall health. Such dietary change can be facilitated by theory-based behavioral interventions that incorporate behavior change techniques such as self-monitoring and goal setting for supporting behavior change.

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Promoting Dietary Behavior Using the Mediterranean Diet in an Online College Environment

Californian Journal of Health Promotion ◽

10.32398/cjhp.v12i2.2155 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 107-111

Author(s):

Basil H. Aboul-Enein ◽

Joshua Bernstein

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Behavior Change ◽

Mediterranean Diet ◽

Dietary Behavior ◽

The United States ◽

Overweight And Obesity ◽

Management Tool ◽

Convenience Sample ◽

The Mediterranean ◽

Dietary Behavior Change

Background and Purpose: The prevalence of obesity has prompted calls for broad public health education solutions to reduce, if not reverse, overweight and obesity among college students in the United States. This study investigated change in student dietary behavior and food choices following an education intervention that introduced the Mediterranean diet (MD) as a weight management tool in a Houston, Texas community college. Methods: Online survey data were collected at pre-test and post-test assessments from a convenience sample of 65 college students enrolled in an online undergraduate nutrition course during the summer of 2013. The Mediterranean Diet Quality Index (KIDMED) survey evaluated dietary behavior change based on the MD Principals. Results: The intervention improved total participant population from a mean KIDMED score of poor (4.12) to a mean score of high (8.45), indicating improved dietary behavior change, particularly among men. Significant differences in KIDMED change scores by ethnicity and heart disease (HD) history were also observed. Conclusion: This study provides a unique pedagogical illustration of e-learning to promote MD patterns among college student populations.

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Mobile-Based Interventions for Dietary Behavior Change and Health Outcomes: Scoping Review (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.11312 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Atreyi Kankanhalli ◽

Jieun Shin ◽

Hyelim Oh

Keyword(s):

Social Support ◽

Behavior Change ◽

Health Outcomes ◽

Eating Behavior ◽

Scoping Review ◽

Mobile Apps ◽

Dietary Behavior ◽

Behavior Changes ◽

Self Monitoring ◽

Dietary Behavior Change

BACKGROUND Mobile apps are being widely used for delivering health interventions, with their ubiquitous access and sensing capabilities. One such use is the delivery of interventions for healthy eating behavior. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive view of the literature on the use of mobile interventions for eating behavior change. We synthesized the studies with such interventions and mapped out their input methods, interventions, and outcomes. METHODS We conducted a scoping literature search in PubMed/MEDLINE, Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library, and PsycINFO databases to identify relevant papers published between January 2013 and April 2018. We also hand-searched relevant themes of journals in the Journal of Medical Internet Research and registered protocols. Studies were included if they provided and assessed mobile-based interventions for dietary behavior changes and/or health outcomes. RESULTS The search resulted in 30 studies that we classified by 3 main aspects: input methods, mobile-based interventions, and dietary behavior changes and health outcomes. First, regarding input methods, 5 studies allowed photo/voice/video inputs of diet information, whereas text input methods were used in the remaining studies. Other than diet information, the content of the input data in the mobile apps included user’s demographics, medication, health behaviors, and goals. Second, we identified 6 categories of intervention contents, that is, self-monitoring, feedback, gamification, goal reviews, social support, and educational information. Although all 30 studies included self-monitoring as a key component of their intervention, personalized feedback was a component in 18 studies, gamification was used in 10 studies, goal reviews in 5 studies, social support in 3 studies, and educational information in 2 studies. Finally, we found that 13 studies directly examined the effects of interventions on health outcomes and 12 studies examined the effects on dietary behavior changes, whereas only 5 studies observed the effects both on dietary behavior changes and health outcomes. Regarding the type of studies, although two-thirds of the included studies conducted diverse forms of randomized control trials, the other 10 studies used field studies, surveys, protocols, qualitative interviews, propensity score matching method, and test and reference method. CONCLUSIONS This scoping review identified and classified studies on mobile-based interventions for dietary behavior change as per the input methods, nature of intervention, and outcomes examined. Our findings indicated that dietary behavior changes, although playing a mediating role in improving health outcomes, have not been adequately examined in the literature. Dietary behavior change as a mechanism for the relationship between mobile-based intervention and health outcomes needs to be further investigated. Our review provides guidance for future research in this promising mobile health area.

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Exploring the Mechanisms of Physical Activity and Dietary Behavior Change in the Program X Intervention for Adolescents

Journal of Adolescent Health ◽

10.1016/j.jadohealth.2009.12.015 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 83-91 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

David R. Lubans ◽

Philip J. Morgan ◽

Robin Callister ◽

Clare E. Collins ◽

Ronald C. Plotnikoff

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Behavior Change ◽

Dietary Behavior ◽

Dietary Behavior Change

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Promoting Adoption and Maintenance of Physical Activity and Dietary Behavior Change

Exercise, Nutrition and the Older Woman ◽

10.1201/9781420042320.ch26 ◽

2000 ◽

pp. 545-560

Author(s):

Bess Marcus ◽

Matthew Clark ◽

Beth Bock ◽

Bernardine Pinto ◽

Deborah Tate

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Behavior Change ◽

Dietary Behavior ◽

Dietary Behavior Change

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Telephone-Delivered Interventions for Physical Activity and Dietary Behavior Change

American Journal of Preventive Medicine ◽

10.1016/j.amepre.2011.08.025 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 42 (1) ◽

pp. 81-88 ◽

Cited By ~ 165

Author(s):

Ana D. Goode ◽

Marina M. Reeves ◽

Elizabeth G. Eakin

Keyword(s):

Physical Activity ◽

Behavior Change ◽

Dietary Behavior ◽

Dietary Behavior Change

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Acceptability of a text message-delivered physical activity and dietary behavior change intervention in breast cancer survivors

Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport ◽

10.1016/j.jsams.2012.11.428 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

pp. S176 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

L. Spark ◽

B. Fjeldsoe ◽

M. Reeves ◽

E. Eakin

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Physical Activity ◽

Behavior Change ◽

Cancer Survivors ◽

Breast Cancer Survivors ◽

Text Message ◽

Dietary Behavior ◽

Behavior Change Intervention ◽

Dietary Behavior Change

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MS-Diet, a tailored nutrition counselling web-application based on mathematical diet optimization

European Journal of Public Health ◽

10.1093/eurpub/ckz185.096 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 29 (Supplement_4) ◽

Author(s):

R Gazan ◽

N D Darmon ◽

F V Vieux ◽

M M Maillot

Keyword(s):

Health Promotion ◽

Behavior Change ◽

Web Application ◽

Dietary Habits ◽

Food Preferences ◽

Dietary Behavior ◽

Nutrition Counselling ◽

Nutrition Research ◽

Dietary Behavior Change ◽

Diet Optimization

Abstract Background By definition, messages in tailored approaches are built to reach a given person, based on her/his specific characteristics and needs. Tailored dietary behavior change interventions have a small but significant effect on dietary behavior change. The majority of these interventions target a few food groups or nutrients, without evaluating the overall diet. Diet optimization is a powerful mathematical method to translate nutrient recommendations into individual-specific food choices. This method is increasingly used in nutrition research, in the fields of public health and diet sustainability. Objective: The aim was to combine tailored approaches and diet optimization in a web application of tailored nutrition counselling. Method and results The web application, called MS-Diet, was developed based on behavior changes techniques, such as: self-monitoring, self-regulatory, tailored feedback and engaging communication techniques. In a first feature, based on user’s data collected online (including answers to a food frequency questionnaire), the user can obtain a picture of the nutritional quality of her/his diet, the diet cost and the level of physical activity. In a second feature, MS-Diet suggests to the user a list of tailored dietary advices to get a healthier diet (i.e., a nutritionally adequate diet), adapted to her/his specific needs and food preferences. With the application, the user is actor in her/his own dietary changes: she/he specifies her/his food preferences and; chooses dietary suggestions that she/he considers achievable. Conclusions This prototype could be a future online health promotion tool which could help individuals to improve their diet or serve as a decision-support tool for health professionals. The evaluation of the tool (e.g. whether the use of the tool results in changes of dietary habits) is warranted before use on health promotion. Key messages MS-Diet demonstrates how diet optimization can be used to design dietary advice adapted to user’s needs and food preferences. MS-Diet is a promising tool to help individuals improving their diet but requires qualitative and quantitative evaluation for further improvements.

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