NUTRITION FOR A LIFETIME SYSTEM(C) - A MULTIMEDIA SYSTEM FOR ALTERINGFOOD SUPERMARKET SHOPPERS PURCHASES TO MEET NUTRITIONAL GUIDELINES

The Nutrition for a Lifetime System(C) (NLS) is a multimedia, public-a ccess system housed in a kiosk in supermarkets designed to help shoppe rs decrease fat and increase fiber and fruits and vegetables in their food purchases in order to meet nutritional guidelines. In the present study, the NLS was modified from previous versions so that users' tim e was decreased to about 3-5 min per week, primarily consisting of vie wing 10 weekly segments which used prompts, modeling, and prescriptive content plus interactions revolving around coupon offerings and selec tions. Coupon offerings were tied to program content, users prior sele ctions, and a nutrition priority order and were person-, store-, and t ime-limited. A monitoring system involving study participants' shoppin g receipts and an extensive nutrition database was used to track parti cipants' food purchases and their nutritional content throughout the i ntervention. Participants, recruited at the supermarket, represented a cross-section by age and socioeconomic status of shoppers. All partic ipants completed a baseline period (no NLS use). Participants were the n randomly assigned to an experimental (NLS use, N = 54) or control (n o NLS use; N = 51) condition. The study's results showed the NLS signi ficantly reduced fat and increased fiber and produce in NLS participan ts' purchases, with some evidence for maintenance at follow-up. (C) 19 97 Elsevier Science Ltd.