Evaluating efficacy of Advancing Nutrition and Dietary Outcomes (ANDO) behavioral intervention program to promote healthy lifestyle changes in patients with obesity, pre-diabetes and other obesity-related chronic conditions

INTRODUCTION. The HAVEN Free Clinic, a student-run primary-clinic, is a partnership between Fair Haven Community Health Center and Yale University serving Fair Haven, a low-income neighborhood of New Haven that has over 90% Hispanic residents. The Advancing Nutrition and Dietary Outcomes (ANDO) program is a recently implemented intervention designed to support nutrition and physical activity behavior change.  ANDO consultations address an individualized set of topics such as basic nutrition, portion sizes, nutritional labels, the DASH diet and effective exercise regimes and educational material for obesity-related complications.

METHODS. Developmental evaluation methods will be utilized to identify potential improvements in ANDO implementation.  Pre- and post-intervention survey questionnaires will be used to assess patient satisfaction and changes in patient knowledge.  The impact of ANDO, a one-on-one motivational interviewing for at least six follow up sessions, on measurable health outcomes including BMI, blood pressure, hip-to-waist measurements, hemoglobin A1c level, and blood lipid levels will be assessed through pre- and post-intervention measurements.

RESULTS. Results of this study will provide guidance for the HAVEN clinic on optimizing implementation of ANDO and also determine whether the ANDO program might be of use in other contexts. 

DISCUSSION. Understanding characteristics of ANDO that are effective at reaching the target population, and characteristics that need to be improved will be of use to other clinics. Results will also complement the existing literature on evaluation of nutrition and physical activity behavior change interventions and could be used by clinicians and public health specialists with interest in nutrition education and community programming.