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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2008 Sep;27(5):539-47.
doi: 10.1037/0278-6133.27.5.539.

Timing of dietary change in response to a telephone counseling intervention: evidence from the WHEL study

Lisa Madlensky  1 , Loki Natarajan, Shirley W Flatt, Susan Faerber, Vicky A Newman, John P Pierce
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Timing of dietary change in response to a telephone counseling intervention: evidence from the WHEL study

Lisa Madlensky et al. Health Psychol. 2008 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: Little is known about temporal patterns of diet change within interventions, nor about predictors of early and sustained successful change. Social-cognitive theory asserts that early successes in achieving behavior change increase self-efficacy, leading to longer-term success.

Design: The authors conducted exploratory cluster analyses using dietary data from the first month of the telephone counseling intervention of the Women's Healthy Eating and Living (WHEL) Study.

Main outcome measure: Change in dietary pattern at three early intervention timepoints.

Results: Three clusters were identified: Cluster 1 (25%) was close to meeting study goals at baseline, but still made major changes; Cluster 2 (49%) and Cluster 3 (26%) were not achieving study goals at baseline, but Cluster 2 made substantial immediate changes, while Cluster 3 changed their diet more gradually. Baseline demographic and behavioral variables were associated with cluster membership; however, the strongest predictors of cluster were self-efficacy, motivation, and approaches to study goals. Cluster membership predicted dietary pattern at 12 months.

Conclusion: These data suggest that a one-on-one telephone counseling intervention that is intensive in the early weeks may maximize the level of change achieved in a study.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Patterns of dietary change by cluster as measured by the WHEL Study Adherence Score (WAS)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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