title: The effects of educational intervention on nutritional behaviour in alcohol-dependent patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the nutritional status and the impact of an educational intervention on nutritional behaviour in alcohol-dependent patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  A pre-and post-intervention questionnaire and a follow-up interview were administered to 58 patients of a residential alcohol treatment service.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Females were at lower risk of being overweight than males, even after adjusting for amount and preferred type of alcohol beverage. Before intervention, 19% consumed 3 meals/day. Following the educational intervention, 22.2% of participants improved their knowledge. After 6 months, when 45 patients agreed to a telephone interview of whom 80% reported continued abstinence, 70.7% reported eating more than 3 meals/day.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Nutritional behaviour of alcohol patients after residential treatments improved during follow-up, and it is possible that an educational intervention to increase knowledge on healthy nutrition style may have contributed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Section of Hygiene, Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Ancona, Italy. p.barbadoro@univpm.it
authors.forename: Pamela
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Barbadoro
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ponzio
authors.forename: Maria Elisabetta
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Pertosa
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Aliotta
authors.forename: Marcello M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: D'Errico
authors.forename: Emilia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Prospero
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Minelli
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D009752:Nutritional Status; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D016320:Substance Abuse Treatment Centers; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires