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Abstract
The objective of this investigation was to understand the diet change processes of
participants within a program setting. A theory-oriented approach and semistructured
qualitative interviews were performed over a 4-month data collection period. Nineteen
men and four women at one site of an intensive heart program were purposely sampled.
Participants were selected to represent several time points in program participation.
The Constant Comparative Method was used for analyzing the qualitative data. The investigation
produced a framework for the diet change process that included three phases: an immersion
phase, a transition phase, and a resolution phase. Within each phase, participants
clustered into groups based on diet adherence. Each group shared a set of specific
characteristics that were associated with their dietary behavior. Trajectories of
diet change occurred within the context of the program experience with participants
moving from (1) Complete Acceptors to Believers to Adoptors, (2) Deprived Dieters
to Contemplators to Accommodators, and (3) Deprived Dieters to Strugglers to Dropouts.
The conceptual model suggested by the study may be valuable to other researchers and
practitioners interested in understanding or promoting diet change.
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Article info
Footnotes
This project was partially supported by a Kappa Omicron Nu Research Fellowship and funding from the Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University.
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Copyright
© 2000 Society for Nutrition Education. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.