A healthy diet is cited to be a critical practice in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. Coronary heart disease can be effectively prevented through adherence to a healthy lifestyle, including the cessation of tobacco smoking, a healthy diet, and regular physical exercise. Research highlights that food-based dietary patterns influence both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. However, the globalized economy has altered food patterns in many developing nations by introducing westernized animal products, whole grains, and refined carbohydrates. Santo et al. (2018), in the article, “The effects of a lifestyle-focused text-messaging intervention on adherence to dietary guideline recommendations” illustrate the importance of reversing these food habits to lower the risks of coronary heart disease. One way to guarantee adherence to dietary changes is the use of text-messaging. As the world becomes more health conscious, a lifestyle focused text messaging initiative can help enhance observance of dietary guidelines and recommendations while improving self-reported consumption patterns.

The research findings suggest that text messaging is a feasible and effective option to ensuring people stick to dietary recommendations. A ‘keyword’ search was carried out online on the PubMed database to identify the subject study. A subsequent filter search based on year of publish derived the final article under review. According to the study, at the start, only 34% of the participants were adhering to food guidelines. At the six-month mark, the percentage had risen to 93% (Santo et al. 2018). The authors employed a controlled group approach to highlight the stark difference in adherence when text messaging is applied.

A gap exists that suggests that adherence to feeding patterns might be vulnerable to the influence of food type. Even though text-messaging improving feeding habits, there was the general concern that there was the reduced intake of vegetables and fish (Santo et al. 2018). Nevertheless, the findings validate past researches on the impact of mobile technology on patient behaviour. Text-messaging can be applied to target several lifestyle behaviours, especially individual risk factors (Santo et al., 2018). Therefore, text messaging is a technology that facilitates the promotion and implementation of personalized care plans. A clinician or nutritionist can adopt the technology to target populations at higher risk of cardiovascular complications.

The article contains important and practical information for a nurse or clinician working with populations at risk of cardiovascular diseases. I would use the information in the report to inspire a health practitioner struggling with finding creative ways to ensure patients stick to particular foods and feeding habits. The same technology can be applied by a nurse seeking to change specific patient behaviours (Santo et al. 2018). Some people, including marketers might suggest that testing is good way to establish and maintain a healthy practitioner-patient relationship. Fortunately, the article is in digital format. The article’s hyperlink or DOI would be adequate resources for a scholarly seeking to share the article’s findings. It is critical to share the nutrition and feeding pattern information given how contemporary public health is struggling with obesity.

High risk populations of cardiovascular diseases need to be inspired to stick to specific dietary behaviours. The results of the article review highlight that text-messaging is an effective tool for ensuring patients adhere to dietary recommendations. Sending a single text per day can prompt patients to review their meals and make necessary adjustments. Healthcare practitioners can employ texting to improve patient interactions or in the collection of information to facilitate the creation of personalized treatments. Texting as an intervention can prove effective on a population scale due to the ease of its transferability.

Reference

Santo, K., Hyun, K., Keizer, L., Thiagalingam, A., Hillis, G., Chalmers, J., Redfern, J., & Chow, C. (2018). The effects of a lifestyle-focused text-messaging intervention on adherence to dietary guideline recommendations in patients with coronary heart disease: An analysis of the TEXT ME study. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 15(45). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12966-018-0677-1

Evidence Based Practice: Nutrition

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