Comparison of group diet instruction to a self-directed education program for cholesterol reduction

Abstract The National Cholesterol Education Program has alerted the public to the risks associated with high levels of serum cholesterol. As a result there has been a considerable increase in the number of individuals seeking dietary advice. This increasing client load has raised questions as to the best educational approach or method to use. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of two approaches to nutrition education. The approaches examined were group diet instruction and Self-Care for a Healthy Heart (SC) — a self-directed diet education program, developed specifically for this study. One hundred and forty-seven men and women aged 25–75, who had been identified as “at-risk” for developing coronary artery disease due to total serum cholesterol levels (TC) in excess of 200 mg/dL and/or a TC to HDL-cholesterol ratio (TC/HDL-C) greater than 4.5, took part in this 12-week study. Group diet instruction was given to 73 individuals and resulted in a significant decrease in TC (11.2%), while the 74 individuals assigned to SC demonstrated significant decreases in TC (17.6%) and TC/HDL-C ratio (12.6%). The results of this study suggest that a well-designed self-care approach has the potential to be a viable alternative to group diet instruction.