Effects of Food Day intervention on self-efficacy, readiness for change,

and perception in attitudes and beliefs in plant-based diets

Arslanian L, Bailey A, Beus M, Bringhurst H, Creech K, Gillins S, Marshall H, McCullam L, Munson T, Neilson R, Newman J, Aguilar S

Introduction
Food exhibitions can leave a lasting impression of healthy nutritional habits in a short
amount of time. These exhibitions usually focus on key informational points, handouts,
and taste tests in order to motivate positive attitudes, self-efficacy, and change for
healthier diets. Utah State University (USU) hosts an annual Food Day exhibition on
campus, in which senior dietetics students educate individuals about a specific theme
relating to healthy and sustainable food. The theme for 2014 was focused on plant-based
eating. Past research has shown plant-focused eating can result in decreased risk of
obesity and associated chronic disease, and is part of a healthy lifestyle.1 This year, the
informational booth topics included: an introduction to the exhibition, how to make
vegetable smoothies, plant-based cooking substitutions, tips on eating out, volumetrics of
plant-based food, how to cook a variety of grains, eating more vegetables on a budget,
how to cook legumes, and the environmental benefits of plant-based eating. There were
also various food sample booths, demonstrating the information being taught. Each
informational booth provided a summary handout, and each food sample booth provided
the recipe.
Studies have shown that environments and attitudes can influence dietary behavior.2
Our research was designed to answer the question: Does attending the USU Food Day
event improve self-efficacy, perceived attitudes, and affect readiness for change among
participants regarding plant-based diet?

Figure 1-Demographics Table

cup serving
vegetables/day

cup serving 1 oz. serving whole Legume intake

fruit/day
grains/day

Age Group (years)

18-25 n= 132

2.61 (0.82)

2.86 (0.86)

4.05* (0.11)

4.19 (0.16)

26-40 n= 14

2.50 (0.31)

2.36 (0.27)

3.07* (0.31)

4.50 (0.40)

41-65 n= 15
Health Score

3.13 (0.27)

2.93 (0.30)

4.13 (0.34)

4.27 (0.48)

Healthier than most

3.12 (0.15)

3.38* (0.12)

4.34*a (0.17)

4.84 (0.23)

As healthy as most

2.51 (0.09)

2.62 (0.10)

3.94*a (0.12)

4.03 (0.19)

Unsure

2.15 (0.20)

2.35* (0.18)

3.40*a (0.32)

3.60 (0.41)

2.25 (0.63)

2.75 (1.03)

2.75 (0.75)

3.75 (1.03)

2.58* (0.09)

2.80 (0.09)

3.97 (0.11)

4.18 (0.15)

USU Staff/Faculty
3.11* (0.14)
3.05 (0.33)
p-value*0.05
p-value**<0.001
a= differences found between 1 and 2 and 1 and 3.

3.95 (0.42)

4.53 (0.60)

Less healthy than most

Status
Student

Figure 2-Transtheoretical Model

4.2
3.8
3.4
3.0
2.6
2.2
1.8
1.4
Pre

Post

Question 4**

Which of the following best describes you?

I am not thinking about eating plant powered meals
when I go out to eat. (1)
I am thinking about eating plant powered meals when
I go out to eat. (2)
I am definitely planning to eat plant powered meals
when I go out to eat in the next month. (3)
I am trying to eat plant powered meals now when I go
out to eat. (4)
I am already eating plant powered meals when I go
out to eat. (5)

Figure 3- Self-Efficacy
4.4
4.2
4.0
3.8
3.6
3.4
3.2
3.0
2.8
2.6
2.4
2.2
2.0
1.8
1.6
1.4

Figure 4 Perception/Attitude
Pre

Post

Question 1**

Pre

Post

Question 2**

Pre

Post

Question 8**

Pre

Post

Question 9**

1. I feel that I can eat a diet that is mostly plant-based

2. I am confident that I can plan and cook meals and snacks using legumes
8. I feel confident making green smoothies at home
9. I feel confident incorporating winter squash into a meal

Methods
Population: 161 students, faculty, and staff, ages 18 65 years, at USU attended the
Food Day 2014 event.
Survey: 21 question pre- and post-survey:
9 questions addressing self-efficacy, perceived attitudes, and readiness for
change in regard to adopting a more plant-based diet
12 diet, health, and demographic questions
Survey was created in Qualtrics and administered via iPads at the event
Participants were recruited via word of mouth by dietetic student volunteers at
the event
All survey participants were given tokens for a small prize
The event was held in the food court of the Student Center on the USU Logan
campus
Intervention: Participants attended informational and food sample booths at the
event. Informational booths were grouped into three categories:
Plant-Powered Principles: What is a plant-based diet
Plant-Powered Perks: Benefits of eating a plant-based diet
Plant-Powered Tastes: Tips for buying and preparing plant-based foods
Statistical Analysis: All statistical analyses done using Microsoft Excel 2013. Analyses
included:
Two-tailed paired t-test
ANOVA test
Descriptive statistics

4.4
4.2
4.0
3.8
3.6
3.4
3.2
3.0
2.8
2.6
2.4
2.2
2.0
Pre

Post

Question 3**

Pre

Post

Question 5**

Pre

Post

Question 6*

Pre

Post

Question 7**

3. I feel that it is possible to eat a plant-based diet in my current financial situation

5. I feel that a plant-based diet is more filling and satisfying than a diet composed of mostly
processed foods
6. I feel that I am improving my health by eating whole grain foods
7. Eating a plant-focused diet is more sustainable than a high meat diet

Results

Conclusions

161 surveys were matched out of 188

total self-administered surveys.
Participants averaged 15 minutes in the
exhibition.
Surveys indicated significant increase in
self-efficacy, perception/attitude, and
readiness to change (p0.002).

USUs Food Day exhibition was successful in

increasing participants self-efficacy,
readiness to change, and perceived attitudes
of a plant-based diet. After the food
exhibition, participants saw their diet as less
healthy, reported being more likely to eat a
plant based diet, and more confident in
buying and consuming a plant based diet.

References
1.
Turner-McGrievy GM, Davidson CR, Wingard EE, Wilcox S, Frongillo EA. Comparative
effectiveness of plant-based diets for weight loss: a randomized controlled trial of five
different diets. Nutrition 31:2 (2015) 350-358.
2. Cooke R, Papadaki A. Nutrition label use mediates the positive relationship between
nutrition knowledge and attitudes towards healthy eating with dietary quality among
university students in the UK. Appetite [serial online]. December 2014;83:297-303. Available
from: Academic Search Premier, Ipswich, MA. Accessed January 24, 2015.