title: Low-sodium diet self-management intervention in heart failure: pilot study results.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Self-care management of a low-sodium diet is a critical component of comprehensive heart failure (HF) treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of an educational intervention on reducing the dietary sodium intake of patients with HF. Secondary purposes were to examine the effects of the intervention on attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control towards following a low-sodium diet.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a randomized clinical trial of an educational intervention based on The Theory of Planned Behavior. Patients were randomized to either a usual care (n=25) or intervention group (n=27) with data collection at baseline, 6 weeks, and 6 months. The intervention group received low-sodium diet instructions and the usual care group received no dietary instructions. Nutrition Data Systems-Research software was used to identify the sodium content of foods on food diaries. Attitudes, subjective norm, and perceived behavioural control were measured using the Dietary Sodium Restriction Questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis of covariance (between-subjects effects) revealed that dietary sodium intake did not differ between usual care and intervention groups at 6 weeks; however, dietary sodium intake was lower in the intervention group (F=7.3, df=1,29, p=0.01) at 6 months. Attitudes subscale scores were higher in the intervention group at 6 weeks (F=7.6, df=1, 38, p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Carefully designed educational programmes have the potential to produce desired patient outcomes such as low-sodium diet adherence in patients with heart failure.
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA. jdwels00@uky.edu
authors.forename: Darlene
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Welsh
authors.forename: Terry A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Lennie
authors.forename: Regina
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marcinek
authors.forename: Martha J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Biddle
authors.forename: Demetrius
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Abshire
authors.forename: Brooke
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bentley
authors.forename: Debra K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Moser
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001294:Attitude to Health; D004039:Diet, Sodium-Restricted; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015438:Health Behavior; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000178:diet therapy*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D012982:Sodium, Dietary / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D012982:Sodium, Dietary