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ABSTRACT
Background: Because Americans commonly consume restaurant foods with poor dietary quality, effective interventions are needed to improve food choices at restaurants. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to design and evaluate a restaurant-based intervention to help customers select and restaurants promote heart healthy menu items with healthful fats and high-quality carbohydrates. Methods: The intervention included table tents outlining 10 heart healthy eating tips, coupons promoting healthy menu items, an information brochure, and link to study website. Pre- and postintervention surveys were completed by restaurant managers and customers completed a brief “intercept” survey. Results: Managers (n = 10) reported that the table tents and coupons were well received, and several noted improved personal nutrition knowledge. Overall, 4214 coupons were distributed with 1244 (30%) redeemed. Of 300 customers surveyed, 126 (42%) noticed the table tents and, of these, 115 (91%) considered the nutrition information helpful, 42 (33%) indicated that the information influenced menu items purchased, and 91 (72%) reported that the information will influence what they order in the future. Discussion: The intervention was well received by restaurant managers and positively influenced menu item selection by many customers. Translation to Health Education Practice: Further research is needed to assess effective strategies for scaling up and sustaining this intervention approach.
Acknowledgments
We give special thanks to our Community Advisory Committee, who provided helpful guidance with this project, to participating restaurant owners and managers, and to our study participants, whose willing participation made this study possible.
Funding
This research was supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant number 5P50 HL105184 to the University of North Carolina Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention (HPDP). Other support was provided by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cooperative agreement number U48/DP001944 to HPDP (a CDC Prevention Research Center) and a Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust grant number 2012-070 to the Lenoir County Cooperative Extension Program. The funding agencies had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the article; or decision to submit the article for publication.