FOCUS GROUPS - THEIR ROLE IN DEVELOPING CALCIUM-RELATED EDUCATION MATERIALS

Because attitudes concerning a topic can diminish the effectiveness of educational materials, previously identified attitudes concerning cal cium intake were explored through focus group interviews during the de velopmental stages of calcium education materials. Although four focus groups of six to seven participants were planned, each of the four gr oups consisted of two to six women. All focus groups followed the same format, lasting for 60-90 min; questions progressed from the general to more specific. The focus groups revealed several attitudinal barrie rs toward dietary behavioural change, including lack of prior interest in the topic and lack of time. Attitudes about dairy calcium included the belief that dairy foods were high in fat and should be avoided, a nd the belief that dairy foods would cause stomach upsets. Also, neith er younger nor older women felt that osteoporosis was a problem their age group needed to address. Readability scales were not necessarily p redictive of preference. This study shows that focus group interviews make a valuable contribution to planning and evaluating nutrition educ ation materials.