Primary care providers need a variety of nutrition and wellness patient education materials

Objective To assess and document the need for nutrition and wellness patien t education materials. Design The results of open-ended interviews and focus groups were used to d evelop a mail-type survey. The 46-item survey addressed barriers to using n utrition and wellness education materials as well as format, education/read ing level, foreign languages, and topics needed. North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service (NCCES) family and consumer education agents distributed surveys to family and general practices throughout North Carolina. Subjects Of the 721 primary care providers surveyed, 303 (42%) returned usa ble surveys. Respondents practiced in 89 of the 100 counties of the state s erved by NCCES family and consumer education agents. Statistical analysis performed Descriptive statistics and independent sampl e t tests were used to analyze survey results. Results Limited time with patients and inability to obtain materials becaus e of cost or being unsure of sources were most often identified as barriers to using nutrition and wellness materials. Of the 26 topics surveyed, 6 ha d mean levels of need greater than or equal to high need (mean score greate r than or equal to 4): weight control for adults, smoking cessation, changi ng dietary fat intake, exercise guidelines for healthy adults, general stre ss management guidelines, and healthful eating for older adults. Twenty-fou r of the 26 topics had mean levels of need greater than or equal to moderat e need (mean score greater than or equal to 3). Topics with moderate need i ncluded guidelines for overweight children and adolescents, nutrition for c hronic disease prevention, and healthful eating for various stages of the l ife cycle. The combined mean score for topics dealing with weight control a nd exercise for adults, adolescents, and children was greater than the scor e for high need (mean score >4). Eighty-three percent of respondents prefer red 1-page, printed handouts. Forty-five percent requested materials in Spa nish. Applications Dietitians who work in a variety of settings can use technique s similar to those described here to determine the patient education materi als practitioners need for the populations they serve. The information obta ined from this study will be used to develop 1-page, printed handouts. A re gistered dietitian and a food and nutrition specialist with NCCES will deve lop and pilot-test the handouts. These materials will be made available to primary care providers in North Carolina via local NCCES family and consume r education agents, many of whom are registered dietitians.