Objective: To determine the effect of a cognitive and behavioral skills building intervention delivered via a small group or correspondence on improvement in total diet quality.
Design: Randomized, controlled trial comparing 2 intervention groups with a usual care (UC) group.
Participants: Generally healthy men (n = 35) and women (n = 63); mean age = 49.6 years (range = 29 to 71 years).
Intervention: 20-session behavioral and cognitive skills curriculum to train participants to improve personal dietary habits that were inconsistent with public health guidelines. One group (weekly meeting [WM]) met in small groups with 2 cofacilitators. A correspondent (CR) group received the curriculum via mail and an interactive study Web site. The UC group received a copy of a consumer nutrition book.
Main outcome measure: Modified Healthy Eating Index (MHEI) score derived from 9 components of the US Department of Agriculture's Healthy Eating Index.
Results: The WM group significantly improved their MHEI score compared with the CR (P =.04) and UC (P =.002) groups. The CR group's improvement in MHEI score was not significantly different from that of the UC group (P =.19).
Conclusions and implications: A behaviorally focused intervention can improve overall diet quality, especially if delivered through small-group meetings.