Identifying users of traditional and Internet-based resources for meal ideas: An association rule learning approach

Older Adults' Perceptions of the 2019 Canada's Food Guide: A Qualitative Study

Purpose: Major changes were made to Canada's Food Guide (CFG) in 2019. This study aimed to understand the perceptions of older adults toward this newest version.Methods: Older adults were invited to participate via newsletters sent to older adults and retirees' organizations in the Province of Quebec. Participants completed an online survey about their baseline familiarity with the 2019 CFG using a 5-point Likert scale and took part in an individual semi-structured online interview, which explored their perceptions toward the 2019 CFG. A thematic qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts was performed.Results: Fifty-eight older adults (>65 years, 30 women, 28 men, including 19 consumers and 39 non-consumers of plant-based protein (PBP) foods) participated in the study. Older adults were mostly familiar with the 2019 CFG and had a positive perception of its features. They appreciated the design, proposed recipes, and healthy eating recommendations. Perceptions about the three food groups were mixed, mainly regarding the decreased emphasis on dairy products. Some appreciated that animal proteins were less prominent, while others raised issues on how to integrate PBP into their diet. Perceptions appeared to be influenced by sex and PBP consumption.Conclusion: Older adults in the Province of Quebec view most of the 2019 CFG recommendations positively. Our observations may be useful to dietitians and public health practitioners when developing strategies to improve adherence.

#Fail: the quality and accuracy of nutrition-related information by influential Australian Instagram accounts

BACKGROUND

Social media is a popular source of information about food and nutrition. There is a high degree of inaccurate and poor-quality nutrition-related information present online. The aim of this study was to evaluate the quality and accuracy of nutrition-related information posted by popular Australian Instagram accounts and examine trends in quality and accuracy based on author, topic, post engagement, account verification and number of followers.

METHODS

A sample of posts by Australian Instagram accounts with ≥ 100,000 followers who primarily posted about nutrition was collected between September 2020 and September 2021. Posts containing nutrition-related information were evaluated to determine the quality and accuracy of the information. Quality was assessed using the Principles for Health-Related Information on Social Media tool and accuracy was assessed against information contained in the Australian Dietary Guidelines, Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition database, Nutrient Reference Values and Metafact.

RESULTS

A total of 676 posts were evaluated for quality and 510 posts for accuracy, originating from 47 Instagram accounts. Overall, 34.8% of posts were classified as being of poor quality, 59.2% mediocre, 6.1% good and no posts were of excellent quality. A total of 44.7% of posts contained inaccuracies. Posts authored by nutritionists or dietitians were associated with higher quality scores (β, 17.8, CI 13.94-21.65; P < 0.001) and higher accuracy scores (OR 4.69, CI 1.81-12.14, P = 0.001) compared to brands and other accounts. Information about supplements was of lower accuracy (OR 0.23, CI 0.10-0.51, P < 0.001) compared to information about weight loss and other nutrition topics. Engagement tended to be higher for posts of lower quality (β -0.59, P = 0.012), as did engagement rate (β -0.57, P = 0.016). There was no relationship between followers or account verification and information quality or accuracy and no relationship between engagement and accuracy.

CONCLUSIONS

Nutrition-related information published by influential Australian Instagram accounts is often inaccurate and of suboptimal quality. Information about supplements and posts by brand accounts is of the lowest quality and accuracy and information posted by nutritionists and dietitians is of a higher standard. Instagram users are at risk of being misinformed when engaging with Australian Instagram content for information about nutrition.

Barriers and enablers to the family meal across time; a grounded theory study comparing South Australian parents' perspectives

Family meals are positively associated with numerous beneficial health and social outcomes. Current discourse however claims that parents are faced with numerous barriers when trying to bring the family together to share a meal. Solutions for overcoming barriers to a positive shared family meal are often individualistic and do not address the systemic pressures and burdens families have faced for decades. The aim of this study was to explore the systemic and novel barriers and enablers to shared family meals as experienced by families across time. To achieve this, a qualitative study informed by grounded theory was conducted. Parents of South Australian families were recruited and interviewed in the 1990s, and a new sample of parents were recruited and interviewed in 2020. Transcripts were analysed using grounded theory and comparative analysis methods. Thirty-two parents from 16 families were interviewed in the 1990s, and 22 parents from 10 families in 2020. Ten factors were identified presenting as either enablers or barriers to the family meal, depending on the context they were experienced. Barriers and enablers were largely consistent across time. Scheduling and flexibility, children's disruptions and children's independence, privileges required to have family meals and motivation and commitment to the family meal were identified as persistent enablers and barriers across time. These findings indicate that parents are faced with similar challenges they have been facing for decades and are still not being adequately supported to execute family meals regularly. Recognising that factors present as either barriers or enablers to the family meal provides us with opportunities to transform barriers to enablers and support families to have regular, meaningful family meals.

Designing a Digital Culinary Education Intervention for Parents With Low Income

OBJECTIVE

To examine cooking practices, online information-seeking habits, and intervention preferences among parents with low income to inform the development of a digital cooking intervention on the basis of the Healthy Cooking Index.

METHODS

This formative research study included a brief survey followed by in-depth interviews (from February to April, 2021) with parents of a child aged 6-11 years with low income (n = 20; 100% female, 70% African American or Hispanic White). Interview transcripts were analyzed using a semistructured hybrid coding approach.

RESULTS

Three main themes were identified to inform the development of the intervention: (1) current Healthy Cooking Index behaviors, (2) preferences for digital cooking intervention content, and (3) design and delivery preferences. A 7-step process was used to develop the intervention and integrate qualitative findings.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Online culinary programs targeting parents with low income may consider short, mobile-friendly video formats and focus on easy-to-prepare recipes adaptable to family preferences.

Nutrition-Related Information on Instagram: A Content Analysis of Posts by Popular Australian Accounts

Social media is a popular source of nutrition information and can influence food choice. Instagram is widely used in Australia, and nutrition is frequently discussed on Instagram. However, little is known about the content of nutrition information published on Instagram. The aim of this study was to examine the content of nutrition-related posts from popular Australian Instagram accounts. Australian Instagram accounts with ≥100,000 followers, that primarily posted about nutrition, were identified. All posts from included accounts, from September 2020 to September 2021, were extracted and posts about nutrition were included. Post captions were analysed using Leximancer, a content analysis software, to identify concepts and themes. Text from each theme was read to develop a description and select illustrative quotes. The final sample included 10,964 posts from 61 accounts. Five themes were identified: (1) recipes; (2) food and nutrition practices; (3) body goals; (4) food literacy and (5) cooking at home. Recipes and practical information about nutrition and food preparation are popular on Instagram. Content about weight loss and physique-related goals is also popular and nutrition-related Instagram posts frequently include marketing of supplements, food and online programs. The popularity of nutrition-related content indicates that Instagram may be a useful health-promotion setting.

Association rules analysis on patterns of multimorbidity in adults: based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys database

OBJECTIVE

To explore the prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity in population with different genders and age ranges.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys database.

PARTICIPANTS

12 576 patients.

PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES

The prevalence and patterns of multimorbidity.

RESULTS

High cholesterol had the highest prevalence in all population (33.4 (95% CI: 32.0 to 34.9)) and males. In females <65 years, the most prevalent disease was sleep disorder (32.1 (95% CI: 29.6 to 34.5)) while in females ≥65 years, hypertension was the most prevalent disease (63.9 (95% CI: 59.9 to 67.9)). Hypertension and high cholesterol were associated with the highest support (occur together most frequently) in all population regardless of genders. Hypertension displayed the highest betweenness centrality (mediating role in the network) followed by high cholesterol and arthritis in all population. For males aged <65 years, hypertension and high cholesterol presented the highest betweenness centrality. In males ≥65 years, hypertension, high cholesterol and arthritis were the top three diseases of degree centrality (direct association with other conditions). As for females ≥65 years, hypertension showed the highest betweenness centrality followed by high cholesterol and arthritis. The associations of hypertension, arthritis and one other item with high cholesterol presented the highest support in all population. In males, the associations of depression, hypertension with sleep disorders had the highest lift (the chance of co-occurrence of the conditions and significant association). Among females, the associations of depression, arthritis with sleep disorders had the highest lift.

CONCLUSION

Hypertension and high cholesterol were prevalent in all population, regardless of females and males. Hypertension and high cholesterol, arthritis and hypertension, and diabetes and hypertension were more likely to coexist. The findings of this study might help make plans for the management and primary care of people with one or more diseases.

Ultra-Processed Foods as Ingredients of Culinary Recipes Shared on Popular Brazilian YouTube Cooking Channels

Social media platforms are readily accessible sources of information about cooking, an activity deemed crucial for the improvement of a population’s diet. Previous research focused on the healthiness of the content shared on websites and blogs, but not on social media such as YouTube®. This paper analysed the healthiness of 823 culinary recipes retrieved from 755 videos shared during a six-month period on ten popular Brazilian YouTube® cooking channels. Recipes were categorized by type of preparation. To assess recipes’ healthiness, ingredients were classified according to the extension and purpose of industrial processing, in order to identify the use of ultra-processed foods. Additionally, a validated framework developed from criteria established in both editions of the Dietary Guidelines for the Brazilian Population was employed. Recipes for cakes and baked goods, puddings, snacks and homemade fast foods, which were among the most frequently posted, contained the lowest proportion of unprocessed/minimally processed ingredients and the highest proportion of ultra-processed ingredients. Recipes containing whole cereals, fruits, legumes, nuts, and seeds were scarce. Results indicate that users should be critical about the quality of recipes shared on YouTube® videos, also indicating a need for strategies aimed at informing individuals on how to choose healthier recipes or adapt them to become healthier.

Analysis on Medication Rules of Chinese Medicinal Herb Formulae in Uterine Subinvolution Treatment Based on Data Mining

Introduction

Uterine subinvolution, especially the subinvolution of the placental site, can be a life-threatening disease that induces secondary postpartum hemorrhage (PPH). Chinese Herbal Medicine has been widely used to improve postpartum recovery and treat uterine subinvolution for thousands of years. Yet, there are many potential laws hidden that are worth exploring.

Methods

Prescriptions treating uterine subinvolution were searched and collected to form datasets. Data mining methods including frequency analysis, cluster analysis, and association rule learning were performed to uncover the potent prescription laws of uterine subinvolution treatment.

Results

A total of 803 formulae involving 249 herbs were obtained. The top 6 most frequently used herbs were Angelicae Sinensis Radix (Danggui), Chuanxiong Rhizoma (Chuanxiong), Leonuri Herba (Yimucao), Persicae Semen (Taoren), Zingiberis Rhizoma Preparatum (Paojiang), and Radix Glycyrrhizae Preparata (Zhigancao). Most of the 249 herbs were being warm in properties, sweet in tastes, and mainly distributed to liver and spleen meridian tropisms. Deficiency-tonifying herbs accounted for the most proportion and heat-clearing herbs ranked the second, followed by blood-activating and stasis-eliminating herbs. 6 clusters were generated by hierarchical clustering, and 5 of them were of clinical significance. 78 rules with support values over 0.25, confidence values over 0.8, and lift values greater than 1 were generated by association rule learning.

Conclusion

The basic principles for uterine subinvolution treatment were deficiency-tonifying, heat-clearing, blood-activating, and stasis-eliminating. Herbs with warm properties, sweet tastes, and liver and spleen meridian tropisms are generally suitable. In addition, Sheng-Hua-Tang was the most frequently used formula for the treatment of uterine subinvolution, yet the dialectical prescriptions were diversified with different patterns/symptoms.

Mapping the digital food environment: A systematic scoping review

Food environments are directly linked to diets and health outcomes such as overweight, obesity, and noncommunicable diseases. The digitalization of food environments is becoming a central issue in public health, yet little is known about this emerging field. We performed a systematic scoping review to map the research on the digital food environment and investigate how the eight dimensions of the food environment, according to an established framework (availability, prices, vendor and product properties, marketing and regulation, accessibility, affordability, convenience, and desirability), might be shifting in the context of a digital society. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Scopus, and Web of Science for studies published between 2000 and 2019, using search terms covering digital technology and food environment, which yielded 13,580 unique records. Our analysis of 357 studies shows that digitalization is taking place in all dimensions of the food environment, and enabling the emergence of new forms of buying and selling food, such as online grocery shopping and online food delivery, which may be changing availability of foods and affecting the physical distance to shops and time allocated for shopping. Systematic reviews identified indicated that digital food marketing and social media can influence food choices, preferences and consumption. Our findings suggest that digital and physical food environments are interconnected and influencing one another, but the impact of the digital on health and nutrition is yet unclear.

Trends and Seasonality of Information Searches Carried Out through Google on Nutrition and Healthy Diet in Relation to Occupational Health: Infodemiological Study

This study aimed to analyze and relate the population interest through information search trends on Nutrition and Healthy Diet (HD) with the Occupational Health (OH). Ecological and correlational study of the Relative Search Volume (RSV) obtained from Google Trends query, segmented in two searched periods concerning antiquity; date of query: 20 April 2021. The RSV trends for the analyzed three Topics were: Nutrition (R² = 0.02), HD (R² = 0.07) and OH (R² = -0.72). There was a good positive correlation between Nutrition and OH (R = 0.56, p < 0.001) and a moderate one between HD and OH (R = 0.32, p < 0.001). According to seasons, differences were verified between RSV means in the Topics HD (p < 0.01) and OH (p < 0.001). Temporal dependence was demonstrated on Nutrition searches (Augmented Dickey-Fuller = -2.35, p > 0.05). There was only a significant relationship between the RSV Topic HD (p < 0.05) for the Developing and Least Developed countries. The data on the analyzed RSV demonstrated diminishing interest in the search information on HD and OH as well as a clearly positive trend change in recent years for Nutrition. A good positive correlation was observed between the RSV of nutrition and OH whereas the correlation between HD and OH was moderate. There were no milestones found that may report a punctual event leading to the improvement of information searches. Temporal dependence was corroborated in the RSV on Nutrition, but not in the other two Topics. Strangely, only an association was found on HD searches between the Developing and Least Developed Countries. The study of information search trends may provide useful information on the population's interest in the disease data, as well as would gradually allow the analysis of differences in popularity, or interest even between different countries. Thus, this information might be used as a guide for public health approaches regarding nutrition and a healthy diet at work.

Who We Seek and What We Eat? Sources of Food Choice Inspirations and Their Associations with Adult Dietary Patterns before and during the COVID-19 Lockdown in New Zealand

Research shows the shaping of food choices often occurs at home, with the family widely recognised as significant in food decisions. However, in this digital age, our eating habits and decision-making processes are also determined by smartphone apps, celebrity chefs, and social media. The ‘COVID Kai Survey’ online questionnaire assessed cooking and shopping behaviours among New Zealanders during the 2020 COVID-19 ‘lockdown’ using a cross-sectional study design. This paper examines how sources of food choice inspirations (cooking-related advice and the reasons for recipe selection) are related to dietary patterns before and during the lockdown. Of the 2977 participants, those influenced by nutrition and health experts (50.9% before; 53.9% during the lockdown) scored higher for the healthy dietary pattern. Participants influenced by family and friends (35% before; 29% during the lockdown) had significantly higher scores for the healthy and the meat dietary patterns, whereas participants influenced by celebrity cooks (3.8% before; 5.2% during the lockdown) had significantly higher scores in the meat dietary pattern. There was no evidence that associations differed before and during the lockdown. The lockdown was related to modified food choice inspiration sources, notably an increase in ‘comforting’ recipes as a reason for recipe selection (75.8%), associated with higher scoring in the unhealthy dietary pattern during the lockdown. The lockdown in New Zealand saw an average decrease in nutritional quality of diets in the ‘COVID Kai Survey’, which could be partly explained by changes in food choice inspiration sources.

Consumer Profile and Product Knowledge Affect the Usefulness of a Quality Label as a Tool to Differentiate a Product: A Chilean Survey

Quality labels are useful tools to differentiate food products, but only if consumers recognise them and associate them with specific characteristics. An online survey was conducted to investigate whether Chilean consumers knew about Novillo de Osorno, for which a quality label is being developed. The survey was divided into five blocks: lifestyles, meat consumption and purchase habits, meat choice behaviour, knowledge about Novillo de Osorno, and consumers' socio-demographic information. The place of residence and consumer gender, age, or income were important cues in defining consumers' lifestyles, meat consumption and purchase habits. Respondents could be grouped into three main groups: 1. Younger people: urban with medium-high incomes, which search only for pleasure; 2. Foodies uninvolved and Females uninvolved: females with the highest income level that chose food for nutritional reasons; and 3. Traditional people: men older than 55 with low incomes, living in the Northern areas and interested in taste and in the meat's origin. Nearly 60% of respondents had never heard about Novillo de Osorno. Hence, the supply chain has an opportunity to extend the market. Since price and confidence in the origin are important cues, they must be considered in the design of promotion strategies.

"My Roommates Would Laugh at me": Young Males Reveal Embarrassment over Lack of Food Skills

Purpose: This descriptive qualitative study explored young males' perceptions of food skills in 3 domains: food selection and planning, food preparation, and food safety and storage.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analyzed using the constant comparative method.Results: Forty-four young men (aged 17-35) reported varying levels of food skills, from little/no confidence to very confident and skilled. Most participants learned food skills from their mothers. Greater involvement in food selection and planning at a young age appeared to be related to parental influence and encouragement, exposure to food skills at school, and interest in food-related activities, which, in turn, provided a solid foundation for being confident cooks as young adults. Most notable was the lack of knowledge about, or confidence in, food safety and storage. Young men with low self-perceived food skills were deeply embarrassed about this deficiency in front of peers who had higher levels of confidence and skills.Conclusions: Future interventions or curricula should emphasize food safety and storage. This research also illustrates the importance of the home environment in teaching food skills to youth and ensuring that food skills are taught well before young adults begin living independently.

Food parenting topics in social media posts: Development of a coding system, examination of frequency of food parenting concepts, and comparison across Reddit and Facebook

This study presents development of a coding system to examine food parenting topics presented in posts on social media, and compared topics between two social media platforms (Facebook, Reddit). Publicly available social media posts were gathered from Facebook (2 groups) and Reddit (3 subreddits) and a coding system was developed based on the concept map of food parenting proposed by Vaughn et al. (2016). Based on the developed coding system, we coded posts into overarching food parenting practice constructs (coercive control: attempts to dominate, pressure or impose parents' will on child, structure: organization of child's environment to facilitate competence, autonomy support: supporting child's ability to self-regulate through allowing food choices, conversations about food, and a positive emotional climate) and recipes. We also coded posts dichotomously as including a question or advice-seeking. Differences in frequencies of food parenting constructs presented in posts on Facebook and Reddit were considered using chi-square tests of independence. Of the 2459 posts coded, 900 were related to food parenting (37%). In the subsample of 900, posts related to structure (43%) and recipes (40%) were the most frequent. Close to half of the posts (44%) included questions about food parenting. Frequency of food parenting topics in posts was related to social media platform, with coercive control and structure more frequently discussed on Reddit and recipes more commonly posted on Facebook. Results suggest that food parenting topics discuss on social media differ by platform, which can aid researchers and practitioners in targeting social media-based outreach to the topics of most interest for users. Findings give insight into the everyday food parenting topics and questions that parents and caregivers may be exposed to on social media. TAXONOMY: Development of Feeding; Parenting; Online Information Services.

Long-term effects of a healthy eating blog in mothers and children

In the context of low consumption of vegetables and fruits and milk and alternatives among Canadian mothers and children, novel strategies are needed to improve maternal and child nutrition. This study evaluated the long‐term effects of an evidence‐informed healthy eating blog on dietary intakes and food‐related behaviours of mothers and their child. The study presents a secondary outcome analysis of a randomised controlled trial in which 84 mothers (mean age of 37.6 ± 6.7 years) of 2‐ to 12‐year‐old children living in Quebec City, Canada, were randomly assigned to a dietary intervention delivered through a healthy eating blog written by a registered dietitian (RD; n = 42) or a control group (n = 42) during a period of 6 months. Dietary intakes, maternal eating behaviours, food parenting practices, and body weight were measured at baseline, 3 months, at the end of the intervention (6 months), and 6‐month post‐intervention (12 months). Differences between groups were assessed with mixed linear models. Globally, this study found no evidence of long‐term differences in mean dietary intakes in mothers exposed to the blog and their children as well as other food‐related outcomes and body weight compared with the control condition. Potential predictors of adherence to dietary recommendations in mothers and children (e.g., involvement of children in household food activities) were identified. In conclusion, a healthy eating blog written by an RD did not result in evidence of any long‐term differences in dietary intakes and food‐related behaviours in mothers and their children compared with the control condition.

Consumer Distrust about E-numbers: A Qualitative Study among Food Experts

Food additives (E-numbers) are allowed in foods, but many consumers have a negative perception of them. The objective was to study the opinion of food experts about the causes and ways to reduce consumer distrust about E-numbers. Thirteen food experts from universities, research institutes, the government, food industry organisations, media, a nutrition information organisation, a consumer association and two other non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were interviewed with a semi-structured topic list, based on a model of risk perception. Interviews were transcribed, coded by an open-coding approach and analysed. Results indicated that, according to food experts, consumer distrust of E-numbers arose from negative communication by traditional media, social media and books. Food experts suggested that the information sources and the reliability of E-number information are important for consumers. Food experts also suggested reducing consumer distrust by avoiding negative label claims and making collective agreements with all parties about honest and transparent communication. According to interviewed food experts, food companies need to explain clearly and honestly why they use E-numbers in food. A nutrition information organisation and the government were often mentioned as appropriate parties to undertake action. The interviews suggested that consumers had no confidence in the food industry.

How Low-Income Mothers Select and Adapt Recipes and Implications for Promoting Healthy Recipes Online

We describe a 5-year (2011–2015) qualitative evaluation to refine the content/delivery of the Food Hero social marketing campaign recipes to low-income mothers. Objectives were to: (1) identify characteristics looked for in recipes; (2) determine recipe sources; (3) understand motivation for seeking new recipes and recipe adaptations; and (4) identify recipe website characteristics users valued. Nine focus groups (n = 55) were conducted in Portland, Oregon. Participants (35–52 years) were primary caregivers for ≥ one child, the primary household food shoppers/preparers, enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and able to speak/read English. Participants reported having “go-to” family recipes and regularly searching online for new recipes, especially those using ingredients available/preferred by family members. Recipe websites with highest appeal were polished and engaging to mothers/children, offered user-ratings/comments and were reachable from search engines. Results identified key recommendations: (1) understand the target audience; (2) aim to add healthy/customizable recipes to family “go-to’ recipe rotations and understand the impact of generational influences (e.g. how mothers/grandmothers cooked) on family meals; and (3) create websites that meet target audience criteria. Seeking the target audience’s input about the content/delivery of recipes is an important formative step for obesity-prevention projects that include healthy recipes.

Women's Perceptions of Usefulness and Ease of Use of Four Healthy Eating Blog Characteristics: A Qualitative Study of 33 French-Canadian Women

BACKGROUND

Healthy eating blogs are knowledge translation tools used by nutrition and dietetics practitioners for helping people improve their health behaviors and food choices.

OBJECTIVE

Our aim was to explore women's perceptions of the usefulness and ease of use of healthy eating blog (HEB) characteristics that might increase potential users' intention to use them as tools to improve their dietary habits.

DESIGN

We conducted qualitative research using semi-structured individual interviews.

PARTICIPANTS

Thirty-three women (mean age of 44 years; range=27 to 61 years) living in the Quebec City, Canada, metropolitan area were studied.

INTERVENTION

Four existing HEBs, written by French-Canadian registered dietitians (RDs) whose main objective was the promotion of a healthy diet, were explored by women during individual interviews. A standardized open-ended interview questionnaire based on the Technology Acceptance Model was used to identify women's perceptions about characteristics of type of blog content delivery, RD blogger's delivery of information, blog layout, and blog design.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Women's perceptions toward the contribution of HEB characteristics to the usefulness and ease of use of those tools to improve their dietary habits were measured.

ANALYSES PERFORMED

Interviews were audiorecorded, transcribed verbatim, coded, and analyzed through an inductive content analysis using NVivo software.

RESULTS

The most useful characteristics of type of blog content delivery identified by women were recipes, hyperlinks, and references. Among characteristics of RD blogger's delivery of information, most women reported that interaction between blog readers and the RD blogger created a sense of proximity and of connection that was helpful for improving their dietary behaviors. Women's perceptions toward various characteristics of blog layout and design were also discussed.

CONCLUSIONS

Incorporating specific characteristics when designing HEBs should be considered by RDs and future research to promote the use of those tools to support dietary behavior change efforts of internet users.