| Learning Objective #1: Describe the pattern of differences in perceived self-efficacy, benefits and barriers to healthy eating across the stages of readiness for change in dietary fat reduction and fruit and vegetable consumption | |||
| Learning Objective #2: Discuss the need to develop stage-tailored dietary change interventions for midlife and older rural women |
Objective: Poor diet is one of the top ten causes of morbidity and premature mortality among older rural women. The purpose was to determine differences in cognitive/perceptual determinants of healthy eating across the stages of change (SOC) for healthy eating (fat reduction; fruit & vegetable consumption) among midlife and older rural women. Design: Descriptive cross-sectional. Population, Sample, Setting: The convenience sample of 298 rural women aged 40 to 83 were attending a national meeting of a family and community education organization in the USA. Concept or Variables Studied Together: Determinants of healthy eating (perceived self-efficacy, benefits and barriers to healthy eating) and stage of readiness for change (precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, and maintenance) were selected from the Transtheoretical Model. Methods: During the meeting, participants completed a packet of reliable and valid instruments, including the Healthy Eating Benefits/Barriers Scales, Healthy Eating Self-Efficacy Scale, and Stage of Eating Adherence Questionnaire. Findings: Because determinants were not highly correlated, a series of three One-Way ANOVAs followed by Scheffe's multiple comparison tests with Bonferroni adjustment were conducted both for fat SOC and fruit & vegetable SOC. Main effects for self-efficacy and barriers were significant (p < .016) for both fat and fruit & vegetable SOC; main effects for benefits were significant (p < .016) only for fat SOC. In general, perceived self-efficacy and perceived benefits increased while perceived barriers decreased from the precontemplation/contemplation to the maintenance stages. Multiple comparisons revealed significant (p < .016) differences in self-efficacy, benefits and barriers across fat SOC, and significant differences in self-efficacy and barriers across fruit & vegetable SOC. Conclusions and Implications: Consistent with theory, women in various stages of change differed in factors that are regarded as important determinants of healthy eating behavioral change, suggesting the need to design stage-tailored dietary change interventions for this vulnerable population.
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Back to 14th International Nursing Research Congress
Sigma Theta Tau International
10-12 July 2003