Extent to which dietitians evaluate nutrition education materials

The purpose of this study was to determine the degree to which dietitians e valuated the nutrition education materials they used when providing dietary guidance to clients. This study examined the extent to which dietitians ev aluated various readability, content, and format characteristics of materia ls; the barriers they encountered when selecting, evaluating, or developing them; and their perceptions of how adequate the materials were in meeting clients' needs. A 115-item instrument was mailed to a random sample of 350 dietitians. Of these, 223 instruments (64%) were returned, of which 142 (64 %) contained usable data from dietitians who used nutrition education mater ials with clients. The dieticians in this study thoroughly previewed nutrit ion education materials before providing them to clients; however, a majori ty reported never using a formal evaluation tool to assist with this task. Although 78% of the dietitians indicated that they always considered the re adability level of client materials, 92% reported not using a readability f ormula. Content characteristics were more frequently evaluated than readabi lity and format characteristics. Barriers included limited budgets to purch ase materials and few professional development opportunities to gain skills in evaluating or developing them. Many dietitians believed that the materi als they used did meet clients' needs and encouraged healthy dietary behavi ors. The results of this study can enhance the delivery of nutrition servic es, guide professional development, and lead to further nutrition communica tion research.