Development and evaluation of DASH diet tailored messages for hypertension treatment

For this study, the Manage Associated Perceptions (MAP) of Dietary Behavior Study, researchers developed, evaluated, and tested messages tailored to improve compliance with the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet by gradually instilling healthy Cognitive Representations of the DASH Diet (CRDDs). The sample consisted of women from diverse backgrounds (N = 53), randomly assigned to two experimental groups (n = 13 and n = 14) and to two control groups (n = 12 and n = 14). The experimental groups performed a version of the intervention for 30 days. Data about dietary compliance and CRDDs were collected at 30, 60, and 90 days. Compared to control group members, experimental group members demonstrated greater improvements in CRDD scores and were significantly more compliant with the diet. Another significant finding was that older women were more compliant.