SHBC1299
L.GOH1, R.BT. LIM2, L.M.CHOW3, S.Y.NG1
National University Polyclinics1, National University of Singapore2, Alexandra Hospital3
An unhealthy diet is a major risk factor for chronic diseases. Although nutrition education and cooking demonstrations have resulted in favourable dietary changes, it is unclear whether this is sustainable for longer periods. This study aims to evaluate the long-term impact of a nutrition-led cooking programme on dietary patterns based on My Healthy Plate (MHP).
This was a quasi-experimental study involving patients with chronic diseases in two polyclinics. A self-administered survey was done at baseline, 6 months and 1 year for both intervention and control group. Participants in intervention group were exposed to the health corner which provides nutrition education and cooking demonstrations. 216 participants completed the study at one year with a follow-up rate of 86%. Adjusted risk ratio (aRR) were obtained from negative binomial regression.
Participants in the intervention group were more likely to report knowing and adhering to the components of MHP at 6 months (aRR 1.83, 95% CI 1.12-2.99) and 1 year (aRR 1.54, 95% CI 1.10-2.16). Participants in intervention group were less likely to add salt or sauces to food at 6 months (aRR 0.29, 95% CI 0.12-0.75) and 1 year (aRR 0.21, 95% CI 0.07-0.61), and more likely to remove fat when eating meat at 1 year (aRR 0.30, 95% CI 0.13-0.67).
The health corner had a positive impact of helping patients achieve MHP recommendations, not adding salt and sauces to their food, and removing animal fat before eating. There is potential for expanding this initiative to improve healthy eating practices in other polyclinics.
