Food and Nutrition Education in Primary Care for People with Chronic Diseases: Clinical Trial

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of Food and Nutrition Education workshops, based on the principles of the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population, and community garden activities as health promotion strategies for people with noncommunicable chronic diseases. Method: Quasi-experimental, parallel clinical trial conducted in São Paulo, Brazil. The intervention group participated in three in-person Food and Nutrition Education workshops, including garden activities and food tasting, and received a vegetable seedling, printed materials, and weekly reinforcement via mobile phone for three months. The control received a book on healthy eating. The study assessed dietary intake frequency, dietary habits including stalk and root’s leaves, adherence to the Guidelines, food security, quality of life, and physical activity. Shapiro-Wilk, t de Student, Mann-Whitney, x² tests and intention-to-treat analysis were applied considering significance of 5%. Results: Adherence for study after 3 months were 71/90 (79%) in the intervention group and 50/90 (56%) in the control group. Majority were non-white (57%), median (IQR) of 59 (50;66) age, completed secondary education (47%), and significant difference among study groups observed for sex: more women in intervention group (93%) vs control (74%) (p=0,004). There was a lower likelihood of soda consumption (p=0.009) and maintenance of the average adherence score to the dietary guideline in the intervention group while the control group showed reduction (p=0.004). Conclusion: Food and Nutrition Education with weekly based information during three months were effective for healthy eating practices.