Introduction

Dietary fat and low fruit and vegetable intake are linked to many chronic diseases, and U.S. population intake does not meet recommendations. Interventions are needed that incorporate effective behavior-change principles and that can be delivered inexpensively to large segments of the population.

Methods

Employees at a corporate worksite were invited to participate in a program, delivered entirely by e-mail, to reduce dietary fat and increase fruit and vegetable intake. Behavior-change principles underlying the intervention included tailoring to the participant's dietary lifestyle, baseline assessment and feedback about dietary intake, family participation, and goal setting. Assessment, tailoring, and delivery was fully automated. The program was delivered weekly to participants' e-mail inboxes for 12 weeks. Each e-mail included information on nutrition or on the relationship between diet and health, dietary tips tailored to the individual, and small goals to try for the next week. In this nonrandomized pilot study, we assessed technical feasibility, acceptability to employees, improvement in Stage of Change, increase in fruit and vegetable consumption, and decrease in fat intake.

Results

Approximately one third (n = 84) of employees who were offered the 12-week program signed up for it, and satisfaction was high. There was significant improvement in Stage of Change: 74% of those not already at the top had forward movement (P < .001). In addition, results suggest significant increase in fruit and vegetable consumption (0.73 times/day, P < .001) and significant decrease in intake of fat sources (-0.39 times/day, P < .001).

Conclusion

This inexpensive program is feasible and appears to be effective. A randomized controlled trial is needed.

Objective

The purpose of this analysis is to examine the effect of an algorithm-driven online diabetes prevention program on changes in eating habits, physical activity and wellness/productivity factors.

Methods

The intervention, Alive-PD, used small-step individually tailored goal setting and other features to promote changes in diet and physical activity. A 6-month randomized controlled trial was conducted among patients from a healthcare delivery system who had confirmed prediabetes (n =339). Change in weight and glycemic markers were measured in the clinic. Changes in physical activity, diet and wellness/productivity factors were self-reported. Mean age was 55 (s.d. 8.9) years, mean body mass index was 31 (s.d. 4.4) kg m(-2), 68% were white and 69% were male.

Results

The intervention group increased fruit/vegetable consumption by 3.71 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.73, 4.70) times per week (effect size 0.62), and decreased refined carbohydrates by 3.77 (95% CI 3.10, 4.44) times per week both significantly (P<0.001) greater changes than in the control group. The intervention group also reported a significantly greater increase in physical activity than in the control group, effect size 0.49, P<0.001. In addition, the intervention group reported a significant increase in self-rated health, in confidence in ability to make dietary changes and in ability to accomplish tasks, and a decrease in fatigue, compared with the control group. These changes paralleled the significant treatment effects on glycemic markers and weight.

Conclusions

In addition to promoting improvements in weight and glycemic markers, the Alive-PD program appears to improve eating habits and physical activity, behaviors important not just for diabetes prevention but for those with diagnosed diabetes or obesity. The improvements in wellness/productivity may derive from the diet and activity improvements, and from the satisfaction and self-efficacy of achieving goals.

This music score was submitted for the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores, an open access collaboration with the UCLA Music Library.

The Miniature Monuments of ACE Architects

This music score was submitted for the Kaleidoscope 2020 Call for Scores, an open access collaboration with the UCLA Music Library.

Climate change has become a top priority for many scientists and politicians around the world, but most of the general public cannot understand their technical terminology. Without the proper knowledge or exposure to climate science and policy, the public is left confused and uninformed on what to think, what to do individually and how to vote on systematic climate policies. For my capstone, I created the Climate Curiosities Podcast. It is designed to be an approachable and easily accessible platform to connect people with climate science and policy experts and address some of the most common curiosities about climate change. The Climate Curiosities Podcast breaks down three major questions: 1. What scientific evidence do we have to support climate change observations and projections? 2. What are the causes and consequences of climate change, specifically on humans? 3. What are some actions and solutions that are available to address climate change today? Interested in learning more? Listen to the Climate Curiosities Podcast, available on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.