MEASURING SUCCESS OF NUTRITION INTERVENTION ON IMPROVED KNOWLEDGE AND BEHAVIOR OF MOBILE MEALS CLIENTS WITH DIABETES - PILOT STUDY

Abstract

Objectives: Measure the success of nutrition intervention among homebound clients with diabetes from Mobile Meals using the modified REAP questionnaire. Design and setting: A sample of homebound individuals recruited from the Mobile Meals organization in Southern Arizona. Subjects: Three females aged seventy-two and older completed a modified validated version of the REAP questionnaire (thirty-one items). Results: Participants were either moderately or very willing to change behaviors related to diet. Comparisons of the assessment responses during baseline and follow-up stages demonstrated that one to two nutrition counseling sessions were enough to initiate action. Maintaining the change was successful when the participant was very willing to make changes. For those who expressed any reluctance to change, setting the S.M.A.R.T. goal initiated short-term action, but after was either modified (positive effect) or halted due to other factors hindering the motivation to continue. Descriptive statistics showed demographic variation in nutrition knowledge levels and adherence to recommended diet. Conclusions: Nutrition counseling is observed to have an influence on dietary behavior by providing nutrition education and motivation for change. Deepening the understanding of baseline nutrition knowledge among the Mobile Meals population should enable improved nutrition education on the diabetic diet recommendations and dietary behavior.