Nutrition Information to the Desktop: A Pilot Online Nutrition Course on Saturated Fat for Public Librarians Increases Knowledge, Expectancies, and Self-efficacy

Abstract 

Objective

To assess the effectiveness of an online course for public librarians on helping patrons reduce saturated fat.

Design

Pre- and posttest design along with a 6-month follow-up survey.

Setting

Online nutrition course.

Participants

100 (8 males, 92 females) completed the course, and 29 completed the follow-up survey.

Intervention

Completion of an online course.

Main Outcome Measures

Self-efficacy, expectancies, and knowledge were assessed at pre- and posttest. Self-efficacy, expectancies, and use of course content were assessed at 6-month follow-up.

Analysis

Paired-samples t tests.

Results

Knowledge increased significantly (P < .001). Self-efficacy significantly (P < .001) increased from the pre- to posttest, and this increase remained significant at the 6-month follow-up as compared to pretest (P < .001). Expectancies also increased significantly from pre- to posttest (P < .001) and remained high at 6 months, but they were not significantly different from baseline (P = .178). At 6-month follow-up, 39% of the participants had used the information from the course to find resources for a patron with a health-related question, and 82% had used the information from the course to help a friend or family member.

Conclusions and Implications

This small pilot study with librarians shows that an online course can be an effective way to increase self-efficacy about helping patrons with nutrition-related questions.

Key Words: Internet, distance education, dietary fats, public libraries