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A survey was conducted with 148 women patients (131 first-time mothers and 17 pregnant women) of ten physicians to determine their channels of information and specific sources within each channel on infant feeding and to examine where they receive their information in relation to their level of nutrition knowledge and selected nutrition-related attitudes and beliefs. It was shown that physicians are frequently used as a source of information on infant nutrition, but are not the women's primary source. Several information channels (formal, media, professional, and interpersonal) and different sources within each channel were used according to the type of information needed. Specific channels of nutrition information were related to whether the mothers breast-fed or bottle-fed their infants, their nutrition knowledge score, and to certain attitudes about nutrition and health.

Nutrition intervention programs are not always successful. In some cases, an insufficient understanding of the interrelationships among factors influencing health behaviors may be responsible for the failures. This study used social cognitive theory, a framework for studying behaviors, to structure the relationships between measurable factors important to the frequency of health-oriented food consumption. We developed a model that incorporated factors for social environment, reinforcement, commitment, behavior modeling, knowledge, and attitude relative to the frequency of consumption of four beverages (whole milk, low-fat/skin milk, regular soda, and diet soda). Four-hundred fifty-seven middle-aged adults (mean age, 47 years; 58% female) and 709 college students (mean age, 21 years; 50% female) responded to a written questionnaire designed as a self-report on frequency of consumption and measures for 10 social cognitive variables. For all four beverages, the model explained 35% or more of the variance in frequency of consumption, thus confirming its predictive power. We used the statistical approach known as path analysis to examine the relationships within the model. The analysis demonstrated that factors influencing the consumption varied between the two age groups (e.g., nutrition knowledge was related to attitude in adult soda-drinking models but not in student soda-drinking models) and between forms of the beverages (e.g., for student models, nutrition knowledge was related to taste enjoyment for low-fat/skim milk but not for whole milk).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

A comparison was made of the employment status of graduates of three types of programs in community nutrition. Graduates of community nutrition programs were less likely to be employed in dietetics or nutrition-related positions; were less likely to be registered dietitians or to have fulfilled requirements for professional registration; and were less likely to recommend the profession than were graduates of coordinated undergraduate programs or of programs in general dietetics or foods and nutrition. Implications for student counseling and professional accreditation are discussed.

Dietary practices of sixty-one nursing mothers who had been breast-feeding their infants an average of four months were examined in relation to their knowledge of nutrition and their attitudes about nutrition, taking vitamin supplements, meal preparation, and meal planning. The women were fairly knowledgeable about nutrition, and most exhibited an attitude that "nutrition is important". Nutritional knowledge, as measured by performance on a reliable test instrument, correlated well with the attitude that "nutrition is important" and with education. Nutritional knowledge also correlated well with four dietary factors used as dependent variables. Associations between nutrition-related attitudes and dietary factors were much less strong. Path analysis was used to test the knowledge-to-attitudes-to-behavior paradigm. Results, using multiple regression analysis, indicated that this model was not supported by the data. Rather, path analysis supported the model of attitudes-to-knowledge-to-behavior. This research suggests that nutrition education programs should adopt, as a primary goal, that of instilling positive attitudes about nutrition and demonstrating to learners that "nutrition is important". Once such attitudes have been formulated, ability to learn and comprehend nutritional facts and concepts will be facilitated, thus resulting in improved dietary intake of crucial nutrients.

The effect of a nine-week nutrition education program on nutrition knowledge and selected nutrition/food attitudes of kindergarten through sixth grade pupils was examined. Children in the experimental group participated in the program for a nine-week instructional period; those in the control group participated later. Knowledge and attitude assessment instruments were administered to both groups immediately before and after the instructional period. In the lower grades (kindergarten through grade 3), responses on two of the three attitude scales were positively influenced by the nutrition education program. On the third attitude scale there was a trend toward a positive effect in all but one of the lower grades, but the trend was significant only in first grade. In the upper grade levels (4 through 6), the effect of nutrition education on the nutrition and food attitude scale responses was mixed; it tended to be most positive in grade 4 and least positive in grade 6. The nutrition education program also had a significant positive effect on the nutrition knowledge score of pupils in all grades except sixth. In this grade, the trend was positive but was not significant.

This study investigated the job satisfaction of public health nutrition personnel and examined specific factors related to that satisfaction. The 584 persons who responded to a mailed questionnaire were, on the whole, moderately satisfied with their positions in public health. Satisfaction with the "kind of work" they did and satisfaction with coworkers were the major factors contributing to overall job satisfaction. Of the job components examined, respondents were the least satisfied with the pay they received. Older respondents who had been in the profession a longer time were more satisfied with their jobs than their younger counterparts.

A study was undertaken to examine nutrition surveillance activities and their usefulness in managing programs of nutrition intervention. Questionnaires were returned by 24 of 26 directors of nutrition units in State or metropolitan health departments participating in 1981 in the coordinated nutrition surveillance system of the Centers for Disease Control, which monitors high risk pediatric patients and pregnant women. The mean years of experience in surveillance activities among the agencies was 4. Only 25 percent of the responding departments reported a self-sufficient computerized surveillance system. Personnel most involved in the coordinating, analyzing, and interpreting of the data were nutritionists who spent an average of 17 hours per month. Major uses of surveillance data reported for purposes of the nutrition programs were to (a) identify collection sites with problems such as errors in measuring heights and weights and hematocrits warranting checks for quality control, (b) define the extent of nutrition-related disorders in the target populations, (c) provide objective local data to assist in decision-making and program planning, (d) enhance followup of specific clients, and (e) provide feedback to clinic staffs about the quality and relative impact of their services. The survey results yielded evidence that nutrition surveillance activities have important consequences for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs of nutritional intervention.

The nutritional knowledge and attitudes toward food and nutrition of sixty-four non-institutionalized elderly persons were surveyed. Findings were then examined in relation to these individuals' actual dietary behavior, measured as nutrient intakes and the purchase of health foods and vitamin/mineral supplements. On the basis of data from three-day food records per participant from three groups of elderly, it was found that, with the exception of energy and calcium intakes, mean nutrient intakes were satisfactory. Those who ate with others and who consumed more snacks had the most satisfactory diets. Socioeconomic status and nutritional knowledge were the key independent variables. A pattern of attitudes and beliefs, such as a belief that nutrition is important, a tendency to regard food and supplements as medicine, a belief in taking vitamin/mineral supplements, and weight-reducing misconceptions, acted as intervening variables to mediate the link between the indepedent variables and the dependent variables (dietary practices).

The purpose of this research was to determine consumers' preferences for the content and design of nutrition print materials through the use of focus group interviews. Thirty-seven non-pregnant, non-nursing female consumers 20 to 50 years of age attended one of six focus group interviews. Existing nutrition print materials were used to stimulate discussion on content and graphic design features of the materials. Content features discussed included glossaries, quizzes, diet evaluation checklists, diet monitoring forms, and "factual" vs. "how to " information. Graphic design features discussed included color, format, size, organization, and general appearance. Participants were asked to discuss the personal impressions and practical considerations that formed the basis of their opinions regarding each feature and to elaborate on how the existing materials might be improved to meet their particular needs. Features that drew the most positive reactions were bright food colors, organizational cues, clear information and explanations, features that help personalize the issue being addressed, and "how to" information.

One hundred thirty-one mothers who were patients of ten physicians were surveyed to determine their compliance with physician-recommended infant feeding practices. For a direct, self-reported measure, the rate of non-compliance was nearly 30 per cent. A second measure, a "compliance score," was computed by comparing mothers' responses to specific questions about the feeding of their babies with their physcians' recommendations for normal, healthy infants. The mean noncompliance rate on this measure was 44 per cent. Differing response patterns regarding specific feeding practices were found for breast-feeding and bottle feeding mothers. To determine selected psychologic factors associated with compliance, health-related attitude and belief scales were originated and validated. Attitudes that "nutrition is important" and a "concern for health" were significantly correlated with the compliance score for breast-feeding mothers.