title: Internet program for facilitating dietary modifications limiting kidney stone risk.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Certain dietary modifications limit the risk of stone recurrence. Compliance is an important component of dietary therapy for stone prevention, and self-efficacy is an important ingredient of compliance. We developed an internet program to facilitate dietary compliance for stone prevention and performed a pilot study to assess its effectiveness.
  
  
  METHODS
  The internet program provides information regarding dietary modifications including increased fluid consumption, limited animal protein, sodium, and oxalate intake, and adequate calcium consumption. Participants record their daily food and fluid intake and receive immediate feedback as to whether they were compliant or not. Five adult calcium stone formers collected three 24 hour urine specimens on self-selected diets, three 24 hour urine specimens while on a stone preventive metabolic diet, and three 24 hour urine specimens after utilizing the internet program for 1 month. Urinary stone risk parameters were measured, and data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Student's t test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All participants recorded their meals and snacks for each day and found the program easy to navigate. The mean time in hours from food consumption to log in was 35.25 +/- 70.8 hours. There were no statistically significant differences in stone risk factors between the controlled and internet dietary phases. Oxalate excretion was significantly higher during the self-selected dietary intake (p = 0.03).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot study demonstrates that subjects appear to be compliant with utilization of an interactive internet program for stone prevention with dietary modifications. In addition, improvement in certain stone risk parameters occurred.
authors.affiliation: Wake Forest University Baptist Hospital, Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Easter
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Amoroso
authors.forename: Debra
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Benfield
authors.forename: Patrick W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Mufarri
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Knight
authors.forename: Ross P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Holmes
authors.forename: Dean G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Assimos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015930:Diet Records; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D007669:Kidney Calculi / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010070:Oxalates / Q000652:urine; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012307:Risk Factors; D012648:Self Care; D012984:Software
chemical_list: D010070:Oxalates