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Updated: May 29, 2026
'Boden Food Plate': Novel Interactive Web-based Method for the Assessment of Dietary Intake
Published on: September 18, 2018
Biomarker evaluation does not confirm efficacy of computer-tailored nutrition education
Willemieke Kroeze1, Pieter C Dagnelie, Martijn W Heymans
1Department of Public Health, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. willemieke.kroeze@falw.vu.nl
Objective:
To evaluate the efficacy of computer-tailored nutrition education with objective outcome measures.
Design:
A 3-group randomized, controlled trial with posttests at 1 and 6 months post-intervention.
Setting:
Worksites and 2 neighborhoods in the urban area of Rotterdam.
Participants:
A convenience sample of healthy Dutch adults (n = 442).
Interventions:
A computer-tailored intervention delivered on CD-ROM; a computer-tailored intervention delivered in print; and a generic information condition.
Main Outcome Measures:
Blood lipids (total, high-density lipoprotein, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triacylglycerol) were measured by analyzing venous blood samples.
Analysis:
Linear mixed model procedure.
Results:
There were no significant differences among the 3 intervention groups in total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triacylglycerol.
Conclusions And Implications:
Contrary to results based on self-report data, no effects of the computer-tailored interventions were found based on objective outcomes. This contradiction calls for a critical reflection on the use of computer-tailored nutrition education interventions and the need to improve those interventions. Furthermore, this study indicates that feasible methods are needed to objectively assess the impact of computer-tailored nutrition education interventions in free-living subjects.