Innovative newsletter interventions improve fruit and vegetable consumption in healthy adults

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of computer-tailored newsletter int erventions in improving the number and variety of fruits and vegetables eat en by adults. Design The 4-group randomized trial with pre- and postintervention measures consisted of a control group and 3 intervention groups receiving nontailor ed newsletters, computer-tailored newsletters, or tailored newsletters with tailored goal-setting information. Intervention groups received 1 newslett er each month for 4 months. Subjects Baseline surveys were completed by 710 health maintenance organiza tion clients. Postintervention surveys administered 6 months after baseline were completed by 573 participants (80.8%). Intervention AU newsletters contained strategies for improving fruit and ve getable consumption. Tailored newsletters used computer algorithms to match a person's baseline survey information with the most relevant newsletter m essages for promoting dietary change. Main outcome measures Daily intake and weekly variety of fruits and vegetab les were measured using a food frequency questionnaire. Statistical analyses performed Analysis of covariance and Tukey's honestly significant difference test were used to assess differences in the number a nd variety of fruits and vegetables consumed among intervention groups. Results For persons completing postintervention surveys (n=573), all 3 news letter groups had significantly higher daily intake and variety scores comp ared with the control group. Although there was a trend of improved intake and variety with each added newsletter element, there were no significant d ifferences at follow-up among the newsletter groups. Conclusions Newsletters can be effective in improving the fruit and vegetab le consumption of adults. In this study, a computer-tailoring system did no t significantly enhance the effect of the nutrition newsletters on fruit an d vegetable intake.