PREDICTING ACHIEVEMENT OF A LOW-FAT DIET - A NUTRITION INTERVENTION FOR ADULTS WITH LOW-LITERACY SKILLS

Background This paper identifies factors that predict achievement of a low-fat diet among 242 California adults with low literacy skills, fo llowing their participation in the Stanford Nutrition Action Program ( SNAP), a randomized classroom-based nutrition intervention trial (1993 -1994). Methods. The intervention classes received a newly developed c urriculum that focuses on reducing dietary fat intake (SNAP); the cont rol classes received an existing general nutrition (GN) curriculum. Da ta were collected at baseline and 3 months postintervention, This hypo thesis-generating analysis uses a signal detection method to identify mutually exclusive groups that met the goal of a low-fat diet, defined as <30% of calories from total fat, at 3 months postintervention. Res ults. Three mutually exclusive groups were identified. Twenty-three pe rcent of Group 1, participants with high baseline dietary fat (>60 g) who received either the GN or the SNAP curriculum, met the postinterve ntion goal of <30% of calories from total fat. Thirty-four percent of Group 2, participants with moderate baseline dietary fat (less than or equal to 60 g) who received the GN curriculum, were successful, Sixty percent of Group 3, participants with moderate baseline dietary fat w ho received the SNAP curriculum, were successful. Members of Group 3 a lso significantly increased their intake of vegetables, grains, and fi ber. Conclusions. Within this population of adults with low literacy s kills, a large proportion of those with moderate baseline dietary fat who participated in the SNAP classes met the postintervention criteria for a low-fat diet. A much smaller proportion of those with high base line dietary fat were successful, suggesting that this group may benef it from different, more intensive, or longer-term interventions. (C) 1 997 Academic Press.