Impact on dietary intake of a self-directed, gender-tailored diabetes prevention program in men

AIM To investigate changes in dietary intake following a 6-morandomised controlled trial of the self-directed, gendertailored type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) Prevention Using LifeStyle Education (PULSE) program in men. METHODS Men aged 18-65 years, with a body mass index (BMI) 25-40 kg/m2, and at high risk for developing T2DM were recruited from the Hunter Region of New South Wales, Australia. Eligible participants were randomised into one of two groups: (1) waitlist control; or (2) PULSE intervention. Dietary intake was assessed at baseline and immediately post-program using the Australian Eating Survey food frequency questionnaire and diet quality measured using the Australian Recommended Food Score (ARFS). RESULTS One hundred and one participants (n = 48, control; n = 53, intervention, mean age 52.3 +/- 9.7 years, BMI of 32.6 +/- 3.3 kg/m(2)) commenced the study. Following the active phase, differences between groups were observed for proportion of total energy consumed from healthful (core) foods (+ 7.6% EI, P < 0.001), energydense, nutrient-poor foods (-7.6% EI, P < 0.001), sodium (-369 mg, P = 0.047), and diet quality (ARFS) (+ 4.3, P = 0.004), including sub-scales for fruit (+ 1.1, P = 0.03), meat (+ 0.9, P = 0.004) and non-meat protein (+ 0.5, P = 0.03). CONCLUSION The PULSE prevention program's nutrition messages led to significant improvements in dietary intake in men at risk of T2DM.