USING QUANTITATIVE AND QUALITATIVE DATA TO EVALUATE AND REFINE A SELF-HELP KIT FOR LOWERING FAT INTAKE

This paper describes the use of quantitative and qualitative research techniques to evaluate and refine ''Let's Eat,'' a self-help kit for l owering fat intake. A quantitative telephone survey of kit recipients indicated that the original ''Let's Eat'' kit often was used incorrect ly and that the most useful information, the goal-setting checklists a nd food choice lists, often was ignored. To elicit specific recommenda tions for ''Let's Eat's'' improvement, we conducted focus groups that provided qualitative information that tvas used to significantly revis e the kit. The new kit was then tested with pilot participants in a re search project. Results indicated that recipients of the revised kit w ere significantly more Likely to use the goal-setting checklists and t o report positive dietary change than were recipients of the original kit.