Assessment of effectiveness of a diet, nutrition, and cancer videotape in increasing knowledge of medical professionals and dietitians

Abstract

As the lay public becomes more aware of the role of diet and nutrition in cancer prevention, effective educational programs for medical professionals become more crucial. For effective program development, educational materials must be tested and evaluated by the population for which they are intended. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether medical professionals (MPs) and dietitians (RDs) demonstrated a significant gain in knowledge after viewing the American Cancer Society's video entitled “Diet, Nutrition, and Cancer.” Twelve medical professionals (physicians, nurses, and licensed practical nurses) and 12 dietitians participated. A pretest and post test were developed to assess prior knowledge of diet, nutrition, and cancer prevention and to compare the knowledge gained from viewing the video. A survey was also developed to assess the applicability and overall acceptance of the video. A paired t-test was used to analyze changes in test scores. Results indicate that RDs had a significantly greater prior knowledge. The MPs demonstrated a significant gain in knowledge (p≤0.05); whereas, the RDs demonstrated a small but nonsignificant gain in knowledge (p≤0.14). Survey results indicate 92% of the subjects believed that the knowledge gained from the video could be directly applied to their professions. The most important information reported missing in this video was tips on ways to change patient behaviors. The study suggests that many MPs have relatively poor knowledge of diet, nutrition, and cancer prevention; thus, more effort must be made to incorporate nutrition education into the MP curricula. Although this video was judged to be a useful tool in increasing knowledge in the area of diet and cancer prevention, an additional component is needed to provide tips on ways to change people's eating behaviors.