A Comparison of Individual Dietary Counseling to a Self-Directed Education Program for Cholesterol Reduction.
Abstract
The National Cholesterol Education Program has alerted the public to the risks associated with high levels of serum cholesterol. As a result there has been a considerable increase in the number of individuals seeking dietary advice. This increasing client load has raised questions as to the best educational approach or method to use. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of two approaches to nutrition education. The approaches examined were individual dietary counseling and Self-Care for a Healthy Heart (SC)--a self-directed diet education program, developed specifically for this study. One hundred and twenty two men and women aged 25-79, who had been identified as "at risk" for developing coronary artery disease due to total serum cholesterol levels (TC) in excess of 200mg/dl and/or a TC to HDL-cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL-C) greater than 4.5 took part in this 12 week study. The individuals that received SC had a significant decrease in TC (5.1%), while the individuals assigned to UC demonstrated significant decreases in TC (4.7%) and TC/HDL-C ratio (6.3%). The results of this study suggest that a well designed Self-Care approach has the potential to be a viable alternative to individual counseling.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1995
- Accession Number
- ADA293391
Entities
People
- G. R. Jansen
- Jeffrey M. Johnston
- Jennifer Anderson
- Patricia Kendall
Organizations
- United States Air Force Academy