Stage-based interventions for low-fat diet with middle school students

Preventing obesity and cardiovascular disease at early ages is important; however, few effective interventions for early adolescents have been reported. In this study, low-income, culturally diverse students from an urban middle school (n = 60) received four classroom interventions with the use of a combined Health Promotion/Transtheoretical Model to control fat in diet and increase physical activity. A control group (n = 57) received the usual classroom education. Pretest percentage fat in diet was regressed on demographics, access to low-fat foods, perceived self-efficacy, benefits/barriers, and stage of change with results as proposed by the model [F(9,64) = 5.77; p =.000; adjusted R(2) = 0.35]. Posttest percentage fat in food was significantly less for the intervention group as compared with the control group (t = 2.06; df, 115; p =.04).