The Effects of Providing Personalized Dietary Feedback. A Semi-computerized Approach

There not only seems to be a trend for people to underestimate the dietary risks that they face, but it appears that this underestimation may be related to the difficulties they encounter when trying to assess their own dietary intake. A study (n = 118) examining the effects of providing people with information about their own dietary fat intake on their attitudes towards dietary change and their subsequent fat consumption is described. Participants in a group receiving feedback about their fat intake did not decrease their consumption of fat more than did those in a control group. No effects on subsequent fat consumption were observed in a group who had higher than average levels of fat consumption, higher perceived fat consumption than actual fat consumption and who received feedback information about their fat consumption. The results are discussed in relation to their implications for health promotion strategies that focus on the motivational effects of providing people with information about their fat consumption.