Abstract
Nutrition interventions developed using behaviour theory may be more effective than those without theoretical underpinnings. This study aimed to document the number of theory-based healthy eating interventions, the involvement of dietitians/nutritionists and the behaviour theories employed from 2000 to 2020. We conducted a review of publications related to healthy eating interventions that used behaviour change theories. Interventional studies published in English between 2000 and 2020 were retrieved from searching Medline, Cinahl, Embase, Psycinfo and Cochrane Central. Citation, country of origin, presence or absence of dietitian/nutritionist authors, participants, dietary behaviours, outcomes, theories and any behaviour change techniques (BCTs) stated were extracted. The publication trends on a yearly basis were recorded. A total of 266 articles were included. The number of theory-based interventions increased over the two decades. The number of studies conducted by dietitians/nutritionists increased, but since 2012, increases have been driven by other researchers. Social cognitive theory was the most used behaviour theory. Dietitians/nutritionists contributed to growth in publication of theory-based healthy eating interventions, but the proportion of researchers from other professions engaged in this field increased markedly. The reasons for this growth in publications from other professions is unknown but conjectured to result from greater prominence of dietary behaviours within the context of an obesity epidemic.
Highlights
Accepted: 10 November 2021Dietitians and nutritionists have long been translating the latest scientific knowledge into practical guidance for people to make healthy food choices
This study aimed to conduct a literature review to document the trend in the number of theorybased healthy eating interventions in the past two decades and the contributions of dietitians/nutritionists to the research field, as they are the predominant professionals trained in nutrition science and dietary counselling
We obobserved a growth in publication output, and, encouragingly, the number of interventions served a growth in publication output, and,input encouragingly, number of interventions published with dietitian/nutritionist author grew
Summary
Dietitians and nutritionists have long been translating the latest scientific knowledge into practical guidance for people to make healthy food choices. Most people would agree that eating a healthy diet can improve health and wellbeing, few of them follow dietary guidelines. Dietitians/nutritionists are aware that many people may lack the knowledge and skills to do so and that nutrition education alone is insufficient to drive nutritional behaviour change among individuals and populations [1]. This led dietitians/nutritionists to the use of theory to inform interventions. Nutrition interventions developed with a sound theoretical basis may be more effective than those without a theoretical foundation [2]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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.
