Nutrition education for risk factor reduction and patient education: a review

Studies of adult nutrition education and counseling for weight reduction, diabetes, cancer, low-fat diets, sodium-restricted diets, and renal diets are reviewed and synthesized. Nutrition education consists of three phases: assessment or problem diagnosis, intervention, and evaluation and monitoring. This article examines the importance of accurate problem diagnosis, the use of behavioral and biological measures of nutrition education effectiveness, and the types and effects of reported strategies. In addition, the issues of maintaining behavioral changes, nutrition education providers and their training, and settings for nutrition education are discussed. Implications and suggestions for advances in practice, theory, and research in patient nutrition education are presented.