An analysis of 30 different studies finds that tailored diet messages are more effective than general advice to lower fat and increase fruit and vegetable consumption (Health Behavior News Service). Social marketers no doubt are scratching their heads about what the news is here - but that's another story for another time.
A majority of studies found that the groups who received personalized advice increased their daily servings of fruits and vegetables. Eleven of the 14 studies that tested the short-term effect of tailored education on fat intake showed a significant improvement in the participants’ diet. Among the 11 studies with strong results, six compared tailored information against no information, while four studies tested personalization against generic education and one study tested tailored feedback against results after a video lecture.
Now it becomes building scalability and mechanisms for maintaining these changes over time. Of course, the question is (as always when it comes to diffusion and dissemination research in public health): who funds the important work?
Technorati Tags: Diet, Health Education, Health Communication, Message Tailoring, Nutrition Behaviors
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