Operation Frontline: assessment of longer-term curriculum effectiveness, evaluation strategies, and follow-up methods.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effectiveness of a traditional pretest versus a retrospective pretest, the stability of self-reported behavior changes at 3 or 6 months post-class series, and the most effective method for longer-term follow-up assessment of Operation Frontline's Eating Right class series.


METHODS
Longitudinal study; subjects surveyed at some combination of traditional pretest, retrospective pretest/posttest after the last class, and at 3 or 6 months.


METHODS
Communities in the metropolitan Denver area.


METHODS
Of the 53 participants, 90% were women, 70% were of Hispanic descent, 49% were between the ages of 20 and 29, and 64% had at least a twelfth-grade education or General Educational Development diploma.


METHODS
Contrast results from a traditional pretest with a retrospective pretest; assess temporal stability of self-reported behavior changes; and contrast response rates for multiple follow-up methods (mail, telephone, or reunion class).


METHODS
Item and scale scores were compared across various time points using repeated-measures analysis of variance.


RESULTS
No significant differences were found for 6 of 7 variables between the traditional pretests and retrospective pretests. Most self-reported behavior changes were retained at 3 and 6 months post-class. Mail had the best response rate (62%) for this limited-resource population.


CONCLUSIONS
The maintenance of behavior changes at 3 or 6 months post-intervention supports the effectiveness of the Eating Right series. Mail follow-up achieved higher response rates than telephone. The lack of significant differences (except 1 variable) between the traditional pretest and the retrospective pretests does not support the retrospective pretest as being more accurate. However, the retrospective pretest may be more desirable for educators, as it eliminates the need to test participants twice.
Swindle
Sara
S
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, 80523-1571, USA.
Baker
Susan S
SS
Auld
Garry W
GW
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002755:Choice Behavior; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D012189:Retrospective Studies