Abstract
Background. There are few studies which have evaluated the dietary impact of multiple community-based cardiovascular disease prevention programs. Methods. A 5-year, multifactorial community-based heart disease prevention program was conducted by regional public health departments in three sites: urban, suburban and rural. The experimental and control communities were composed of independent samples of 4,863 adults in 1993 and 5,260 in 1997. The impact of the program on diet was assessed by a validated, self-administered food frequency questionnaire which yielded a Global Dietary Index (GDI). Results. The urban and suburban sites showed improvements in mean GDI in both exposed and non-exposed groups while the rural site mean GDI showed deterioration in both groups (n.s.). The analysis of variance showed that the group × year interaction terms were not significant for each site and sex, indicating that the intervention did not have measurable effects on dietary behaviours. Inclusion of confounding variables did not alter those findings. Analyses of specific food group indices gave similar results. Conclusions. Future intervention programs could benefit from considering physical and social environments as well as public policy changes to improve efficacy.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
