MATERNAL ACCEPTABILITY OF A DIETARY INTERVENTION DESIGNED TO LOWER CHILDRENS INTAKE OF SATURATED FAT AND CHOLESTEROL - THE DIETARY INTERVENTION STUDY IN CHILDREN (DISC)

Objective This report examined the acceptability to mothers of a dieta ry educational and behavioral intervention for preadolescent children with elevated levels of serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL -C) who were enrolled in the Dietary Intervention Study in Children (D ISC). Design DISC is a randomized, controlled clinical trial. Subjects were randomly assigned to either an intervention or usual-care (contr ol) group. Subjects/setting To be eligible for the study, participants were required to have the average of 2 fasting LDL-C values fall betw een the 80th and 98th sex-specific percentiles. Three hundred thirty-f our 8- to 10-year-old children and their families were randomly assign ed to an intervention group, and 329 were assigned to a usual-care (co ntrol) group. This study examined data from 232 subjects in the interv ention group. Data were collected at 6 intervention sites around the U nited States. Intervention Those assigned to the intervention group pa rticipated in a multidisciplinary dietary intervention that included a series of group and individual sessions over a 3-year period. Childre n and their caretakers were taught to follow a nutritionally adequate diet that was low in total fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol and hig h in polyunsaturated fat. Main outcome measures Three nonconsecutive 2 4-hour diet recalls were collected at baseline and at 1 year by traine d and certified dietitians. A questionnaire designed to assess diet ac ceptability was administered at months 4, 8, 11, and 15. Demographic m easures were collected at the onset of the study. Statistical analysis performed Statistical procedures included factor analysis and regress ion analysis. Results Regression analysis suggested that perceived eff ectiveness of the dietary intervention and mothers' having few concern s about disadvantages of the diet were significantly related to higher overall fat intake in children in one-parent families. Maternal willi ngness to implement the diet was significantly related to lower satura ted fat intake. Applications/conclusions In attempts to change eating behavior of children, interest and cooperation of the parents are esse ntial to achieving successful results. These analyses further suggest that maternal acceptability translates into willingness to implement t he diet and may facilitate changes that are associated with reduced sa turated fat intake in children.