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Background Social media represent cost-effective platforms to advance the dissemination and uptake of health research to improve population health. However, there is limited evidence available to support researchers overcome methodological challenges related to recruitment and retention of participants in studies using social media for delivering behavior change interventions. This study aims to describe the recruitment and the retention strategies used in a randomized controlled trial (RCT) that evaluated a blog-delivered healthy eating intervention among mothers of preschoolers and school-aged children. Methods Eighty-four adult mothers of children aged between two and 12 years old living in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, were recruited between October 2015 and February 2017 using traditional methods (e.g. institutional email lists, flyers, newspapers, and word of mouth) and Facebook advertisements. Retention rates were calculated at the end of the 6-month intervention and at a 12-month follow-up assessment. Sociodemographic characteristics, Internet use behaviors and retention rates of mothers recruited through traditional methods and Facebook were compared using Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney tests and Fisher exact tests. Results Of the 196 mothers who responded to the recruitment call, 87 (44.4%) were eligible and 84 (42.9%) were randomized to the trial, representing a recruitment success of 76.4% (84/110) from the planned sample size target. Among those, a minority (3.6%) were recruited using Facebook. Those mothers presented similar sociodemographic characteristics to those recruited using traditional methods. Retention rates were 73.8% and 66.7% at 6 and 12 months, respectively, with similar rates between mothers recruited using Facebook and traditional methods. Various challenges associated with population retention were highlighted with lack of time being mothers’ main reason for withdrawing from the study. Conclusions The methodological challenges experienced during the conduct of the blog-delivered healthy eating intervention allowed to draw upon several lessons regarding the recruitment process and the retention of mothers of preschoolers and school-aged children to inform future social media-delivered research. Recommendations for future research include exploring mothers’ perceptions and preferences to tailor social media recruitment, ensure that interventions are delivered to them using social media platforms that are already integrated into their routine, and are providing remote outcome assessments to increase participant retention. Trial registration Clinical Trial Protocol NCT03156803. Registered on 17 May 2017, retrospectively registered.

In the context of low consumption of vegetables and fruits and milk and alternatives among Canadian mothers and children, novel strategies are needed to improve maternal and child nutrition. This study evaluated the long‐term effects of an evidence‐informed healthy eating blog on dietary intakes and food‐related behaviours of mothers and their child. The study presents a secondary outcome analysis of a randomised controlled trial in which 84 mothers (mean age of 37.6 ± 6.7 years) of 2‐ to 12‐year‐old children living in Quebec City, Canada, were randomly assigned to a dietary intervention delivered through a healthy eating blog written by a registered dietitian (RD; n = 42) or a control group (n = 42) during a period of 6 months. Dietary intakes, maternal eating behaviours, food parenting practices, and body weight were measured at baseline, 3 months, at the end of the intervention (6 months), and 6‐month post‐intervention (12 months). Differences between groups were assessed with mixed linear models. Globally, this study found no evidence of long‐term differences in mean dietary intakes in mothers exposed to the blog and their children as well as other food‐related outcomes and body weight compared with the control condition. Potential predictors of adherence to dietary recommendations in mothers and children (e.g., involvement of children in household food activities) were identified. In conclusion, a healthy eating blog written by an RD did not result in evidence of any long‐term differences in dietary intakes and food‐related behaviours in mothers and their children compared with the control condition.

This purpose of this study was to compare the nutritional content of vegetarian recipes published in food blogs written by registered dietitians (RDs) and by non-registered dietitians (non-RDs). Twelve food blogs written by RDs and 12 written by non-RDs were selected using a systematic approach. For each food blog, 2 vegetarian entrée recipes per season were selected (n = 192 recipes). Descriptive analyses were performed using Fisher’s exact test. Median nutritional values per serving between RDs’ and non-RDs’ recipes were compared using Wilcoxon–Mann–Whitney tests. RDs’ recipes were significantly lower in energy, non-heme iron, vitamin C, and sodium, contained significantly more vitamin D and had a higher protein proportion than non-RDs’ recipes. Disparities were also observed across type of entrée and vegetarian dietary pattern. In conclusion, this study showed that RD and non-RD food bloggers provided vegetarian recipes with few nutritional differences. Whether expanding the comparative analysis between RDs and non-RDs’ blogs targeting different nutrition-related topics would yield different results remains to be investigated.

Background Although social media such as blogs are still considered innovative communication technologies, some registered dietitians (RDs) are using them to promote healthy eating; however, evidence regarding the effects of healthy eating blogs on users’ diet is lacking. Objective This study evaluated the effects of an evidence-informed healthy eating blog written by an RD on dietary intakes, with a focus on vegetables and fruit and milk and alternatives consumption, and food-related behaviors of Canadian mothers. Design This study was a parallel, randomized, controlled trial. Participants/setting Data were collected from 84 French-speaking adult mothers of children aged between 2 and 12 years living in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, who were recruited between October 2015 and February 2017 using institutional e-mail lists, flyers, newspapers, social media advertisements, and word of mouth. Intervention The intervention was exclusively delivered through an evidence-informed healthy eating blog—integrating theory-based intervention methods to improve diet quality by increasing vegetables and fruit and milk and alternatives consumption in mothers—for 6 months at a dose of one new post written by an RD each week. Mothers could engage with the RD and fellow participants by posting comments on the blog. Main outcome measures Main outcomes were daily intakes of vegetables and fruit and milk and alternatives. Outcome assessments were performed at baseline, 3 months, and at the end of the 6-month intervention. Statistical analysis Differences between the groups were examined using mixed linear models. Results At 6 months, no significant difference was observed between groups for intakes of vegetables and fruit (P=0.923), milk and alternatives (P=0.271), or food-related behaviors and body weight (P=0.180). Conclusions A healthy eating blog, at a dose of 1 post per week, had no effects on dietary intakes, food-related behaviors, and body weight of mothers after 6 months. Methodologic issues are discussed to inform future health behavior research using blogs to promote healthy eating.

Background Healthy eating blogs are knowledge translation tools used by nutrition and dietetics practitioners for helping people improve their health behaviors and food choices. Objective Our aim was to explore women's perceptions of the usefulness and ease of use of healthy eating blog (HEB) characteristics that might increase potential users' intention to use them as tools to improve their dietary habits. Design We conducted qualitative research using semi-structured individual interviews. Participants Thirty-three women (mean age of 44 years; range=27 to 61 years) living in the Quebec City, Canada, metropolitan area were studied. Intervention Four existing HEBs, written by French-Canadian registered dietitians (RDs) whose main objective was the promotion of a healthy diet, were explored by women during individual interviews. A standardized open-ended interview questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model was used to identify women's perceptions about characteristics of type of blog content delivery, RD blogger's delivery of information, blog layout, and blog design. Main outcome measures Women's perceptions toward the contribution of HEB characteristics to the usefulness and ease of use of those tools to improve their dietary habits were measured. Analyses performed Interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed through an inductive content analysis using NVivo software. Results The most useful characteristics of type of blog content delivery identified by women were recipes, hyperlinks, and references. Among characteristics of RD blogger's delivery of information, most women reported that interaction between blog readers and the RD blogger created a sense of proximity and of connection that was helpful for improving their dietary behaviors. Women's perceptions toward various characteristics of blog layout and design were also discussed. Conclusions Incorporating specific characteristics when designing HEBs should be considered by RDs and future research to promote the use of those tools to support dietary behavior change efforts of internet users.

We reviewed randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that have assessed the effects of yogurt containing Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus (LBST) on metabolic risk markers of chronic diseases in adults. We performed a systematic search in July 2016 in the scientific databases PubMed, EMBASE and The Cochrane Library. Included studies were RCTs that assessed the impact of consuming yogurt containing LBST as a treatment, and that evaluated at least one metabolic risk marker for chronic diseases compared with a control diet or a diet supplemented in another food/ingredient in healthy or chronically ill adults. Seven RCTs involving 278 participants were included in the review. Studies were conducted in the USA, France, Spain, Iran and Canada. Five studies were undertaken in healthy adults, and two were conducted among lactose malabsorbers. All studies investigated changes in blood lipids and glucose homoeostasis, with different doses of yogurt, durations of the supplementation and risks markers assessed. Consumption of LBST yogurt significantly reduced total cholesterol concentrations, ratio of total cholesterol to HDL-C and plasma glucose compared to a control yogurt-free diet or diet supplemented in another food/ingredient in two out of the seven studies. The majority of included RCTs presented high to unclear methodological risks of bias, which raises questions about the validity of their findings. Data from this systematic review indicate that the consumption of LBST yogurt shows either favourable or neutral effects on metabolic risk markers when compared with a control treatment in controlled research settings. RCTs investigating the effect of LBST yogurt consumption on metabolic risk markers of chronic diseases are scarce and presented considerable variation in methodologies making comparison between studies difficult. Further large-scale, well-designed studies assessing the impact of LBST yogurt, in particular in comparison with a control yogurt-free diet, are warranted to effectively evaluate the effect of yogurt consumption per se on risk markers of chronic diseases.

BackgroundChronic diseases are the leading cause of death (63%) worldwide. A key behavioral risk factor is unhealthy eating. New strategies must be identified and evaluated to improve dietary habits. Social media, such as blogs, represent a unique opportunity for improving knowledge translation in health care through interactive communication between health consumers and health professionals. Despite the proliferation of food and lifestyle blogs, no research has been devoted to understanding potential blog readers’ perceptions of healthy eating blogs written by dietitians. ObjectiveTo identify women’s salient beliefs and perceptions regarding the use of healthy eating blogs written by dietitians promoting the improvement of their dietary habits. MethodsWe conducted a qualitative study with female Internet users living in the Quebec City, QC, area with suboptimal dietary habits. First, the women explored 4 existing healthy eating blogs written in French by qualified dietitians. At a focus group 2-4 weeks later, they were asked to discuss their experience and perceptions. Focus group participants were grouped by age (18-34, 35-54, and 55-75 years) and by their use of social media (users/nonusers). Using a questionnaire based on the Theory of Planned Behavior, participants were asked to identify salient beliefs underlying their attitudes (advantages/disadvantages), subjective norms (what people important to them would think), and perceptions of control (facilitators/barriers) regarding the use of a healthy eating blog written by a dietitian to improve dietary habits. Discussion groups were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, coded, and a deductive content analysis was performed independently by 2 individuals using the NVivo software (version 10). ResultsAll participants (N=33) were Caucasian women aged between 22 to 73 year. Main advantages perceived of using healthy eating blogs written by a dietitian were that they provided useful recipe ideas, improved lifestyle, were a credible source of information, and allowed interaction with a dietitian. Disadvantages included increased time spent on the Internet and guilt if recommendations were not followed. Important people who would approve were family, colleagues, and friends. Important people who could disapprove were family and doctors. Main facilitators were visually attractive blogs, receiving an email notification about new posts, and finding new information on the blog. Main barriers were too much text, advertising on the blog, and lack of time. ConclusionsThe women in this study valued the credibility of healthy eating blogs written by dietitians and the contact with dietitians they provided. Identifying salient beliefs underlying women’s perceptions of using such blogs provides an empirically supported basis for the design of knowledge translation interventions to help prevent chronic diseases.