Study Title
Communicating for Impact: Tailoring Nutrition Messages to Influence Dietary Behaviour
Principal Investigator(s)
Joyce Haddad
Affiliation(s)
College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Australia
Study Start Date
Not specified
Study End Date (Expected/Actual)
2021 (Completed)
Study Objective(s)
To design and evaluate a brief online dietary feedback intervention incorporating tailored nutrition message framing and enhanced behavioural support to improve diet quality among Australian adults.
Short Abstract / Summary
Poor diet quality is a major contributor to the burden of non-communicable diseases among Australian adults. Although brief online dietary feedback interventions have been developed to improve dietary behaviour, their impact has generally been modest. This doctoral research investigated whether tailoring nutrition message framing could increase the effectiveness of dietary feedback interventions.
The thesis comprised four interconnected studies. First, a secondary analysis of dietary patterns identified discretionary food intake as the most important dietary target for intervention. Next, a randomised controlled trial with a nested crossover design evaluated the effectiveness of four different nutrition message frames: positive, negative, majority descriptive norm, and minority descriptive norm messages. Message frames were assessed based on their ability to influence participants’ intention to change behaviour, with the highest-scoring message delivered as a tailored intervention.
The intervention, titled Shifting My Nutrition Score in 28 Days, compared tailored nutrition messages combined with enhanced behavioural support against generic nutrition messages typically used in practice. While tailoring message frames did not significantly outperform generic messages, the intervention achieved a meaningful reduction in discretionary food consumption, with participants reducing intake by approximately one serve per day. Additional analyses demonstrated that individuals with poorer baseline diet quality were more likely to achieve significant dietary improvements.
This research contributes novel evidence regarding the role of personalised nutrition communication and suggests that tailoring message framing may offer limited additional benefit among populations already motivated to improve their dietary behaviour.
Study Design
Randomised Controlled Trial with Nested Crossover Trial, supported by Secondary Data Analysis
Study Population
Australian adults participating in online dietary assessment and behaviour change interventions.
Sample Size (if applicable)
- Secondary dietary pattern analysis: 216,045 participants
- Randomised controlled trial: 1,441 participants
Inclusion Criteria
Australian adults eligible to participate in online dietary assessment and dietary behaviour change interventions.
Exclusion Criteria
Not explicitly stated in the thesis abstract.
Intervention / Exposure (if applicable)
The Shifting My Nutrition Score in 28 Days online dietary feedback intervention, incorporating:
- Tailored nutrition message framing (positive, negative, majority norm, minority norm)
- Enhanced behavioural support strategies
- Comparison with standard generic nutrition messaging
Primary Outcome Measures
- Intention to change dietary behaviour
- Change in discretionary food intake
- Improvement in overall diet quality
- Predictors of intervention effectiveness
Funding Source(s)
Not specified.
Collaborating Institution(s)
Flinders University
Ethics Approval
Conducted as part of a Doctor of Philosophy research programme at Flinders University. Ethical approval details were not reported in the registry submission.
Publication Status
Published. Haddad, J. (2021). Communicating for Impact: Tailoring Nutrition Messages to Influence Dietary Behaviour. Doctor of Philosophy Thesis, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Flinders University, Australia.
Study Location(s)
Australia
Keywords
Health messaging; nutrition messaging; nutrition communication; dietary patterns; dietary pattern analysis; discretionary choices; eHealth; digital interventions; dietary behaviour; dietary behaviour change.
Data Collection Methods
The research employed a mixed-methods programme involving secondary dietary pattern analysis, a randomised controlled trial, and a nested crossover trial. Dietary intake and behavioural outcomes were assessed through online dietary feedback tools. Different nutrition message frames were experimentally tested to evaluate their influence on participants’ intentions and dietary behaviours. Statistical analyses included intervention effectiveness testing and predictive modelling of participant characteristics associated with dietary improvement.
Data Availability Statement
Data availability is subject to the conditions outlined in the doctoral thesis and institutional policies of Flinders University.
Contact Information:
Joyce Haddad
Email: