Question 3
Would you use any of the findings of this review when speaking to clients or patients? Why or why not?
posted by Kara @ 6:14 PM
30 comments
ISU Dietetic Internship Journal Club
Objective: To become familiar with current scientific literature on a variety of nutrition topics and to gain experience in gathering, organizing, critically evaluating, presenting and facilitating group discussion of the literature and the implications to practice.
30 Comments:
I would definitely use this data when speaking to clients and patients. These findings show how important self-monitoring is and what a benefit it can be. Not only does self-monitoring make one more aware of what they are consuming and how they are exercising, it is a great reference for health professionals to use when counseling individuals to point out the good things they are doing and also the areas they may want to alter or focus on a bit more.
The findings in this review would definitely be useful when speaking with clients or patients about weight loss and healthy eating. This information demonstrates to the client or patient that keeping track of what one eats, drinks and their physical activity can help keep them on the right track to losing weight and living healthier. The record can be used as a reference for the client to remember what they did on a particular day and it can help the dietitian guide the client to better choices or encourage them to keep up the great work. I have heard in some outpatient educations, patients complain about the amount of time and stress it takes to write everything down. Now, this study can be in the RD's back pocket to encourage the patient that although it may take a little more time, it works!
I think any research with strong results and statistics to back up the findings is helpful when counseling a client. This study would provide the client with an example of how self-monitoring works and shows that it leads to positive results when used in the proper way. It is easier for someone to become motivated when they know that it has worked for other people.
This comment has been removed by the author.
I would use these findings when speaking with patients/clients. This study demonstrated the importance of self-monitoring. By giving this information to the patient or client you are giving them tools to promote healthy life style changes. The daily record not only gives the individual a sense of accountability but also allows any health professional a record of their daily activities.
I think the findings of this review are very useful when speaking to clients or patients. It shows that self-monitoring is effective and that it has worked for other people. Clients/patients are usually very interested in knowing what has worked for others and I think they are more willing to try things that they have heard success stories about. Self-monitoring is also a very easy thing to do and as we know, most Americans want an easy fix. I'm not saying that they will necessarily have an easy fix with self monitoring, but it's a small step they can begin with to help them see what they are actually consuming and how much. I believe that people become so busy with everything in life that they lose track of what they are eating, how much they are eating, and how often the really do eat high calorie/high fat items due to the ease of access and preparation. Self monitoring can also be motivational because they have a document of their success.
Jordan- I agree that self-monitoring is also helpful for health professionals to see. When people visit a health professional, it is often hard to remember what all has been done/consumed over the past week or even the past 24 hours. Having documentation will allow health professionals to provide more specific recommendations and advice to people making them more likely to achieve their individual goals.
I would also use these results with a client or patient. I think that sharing these results will only help and encourage them with their self-monitoring. It can seem like a lot of work to some patients and showing them that they can see positive results from self-monitoring will only be beneficial. Sharing the results with them may also encourage them to be as accurate and detailed as possible because they will want to see those positive results. As I mentioned in a previous question, using these findings with a male client or a woman who is not white may not have as big as an impact because of the specific population used in this study.
I would not hesitate to use this data when speaking with potential clients. I believe it would help to show an usefulness for documenting their intake and activity that otherwise may seem like a burden to them. I believe that this artcle could definatly be of benefit in showing clients that taking the time to do such things, such as self-monitoring, can have positive impacts.
Liz,
I agree with the point you make on using some sort of food/physical activity journal as a source to also motivate the client as well as help the nutrition professional in better determining the specific areas that the client needs to focus on or may need help on improving. With that assistance, the nutrition professional can better tailor their sessions to suit the clients needs thus providing more benefit.
Sharing these findings with my clients/patients would show them the value of self-monitoring - and it would be easier to review their improvements in their diets if they had been keeping a food diary! I feel like self-recording intakes/weights/activity is a great form of empowerment, and giving my clients that sense of self-efficacy and personal control seems like it's on the right path.
I would definitely use this data when speaking to clients because time and time again studies are finding that the use of food journals and exercise journals do aid in weight loss. Not only does it make it helpful to the RD counseling them for weight loss, it helps them really see what they are actually eating. It also provides them with documented evidence of their hard work if and when they reach their weight loss goals. With all of the tools that are available now (online diet journals, i-phone apps) it makes it very easy and convienent for individuals to keep food journals.
I definitely would use the results of this review when working with patients. The study shows that self-monitoring of food intake and exercise can aid in weight loss. This would be very beneficial information to share with patients when attempting to initiate and maintain behavior modification. I think most individuals would respond better to concrete data that shows success when being urged to keep a food record or exercise log.
I agree with Rose that most individuals would respond best to real data when initiating and maintaining healthy lifestyle changes. Sarah makes a great point when stating that self-monitoring is almost effortless with the available technology to aid in the process.
I would definitely use the findings of this article with clients because it shows that through being aware of your diet, weight loss can be achieved! Essentially through nutrition counseling, as dietitians this is one thing we are trying to get across, be aware of what you eat! Encouraging clients to be active participants who are aware of what they are eating can only be a positive thing for weight loss.
Sarah,
I agree with you that recalls can be used as a record of what a client has achieved. They can also look back on the changes over time that they have made with their diets. I am also glad that through technology we are able to give our clients easier options to keep track of their diet.
I think the results of this study provide a good teaching point for patients. Providing a valid rationale for tracking weight/food and activity may encourage noncompliant patients to track. However, the results do not justify trying to force tracking on any patient that is not receptive. In other words, individuals can be successful at sustained weight loss without keeping a food log. While tracking may be beneficial for many individuals, especially to help patients become more self-aware, it is not for everyone.
I would use the findings of this review when speaking to clients. People may view exercise/food journaling as "work," or time-consuming. If we can prove to them that it will really help them to have positive results, they may be more apt to utilize this tool.
I would definitely encourage clients to self-monitor their meals and physical activity sessions. Personally, I feel if an individual is making a conscious effort to record this data, then they will reflect more on their feelings and emotions that surround them while they are making healthy food choices or participating in exercise. This would in turn continue the cycle of motivation in pursuing healthy lifestyle behaviors.
Jamie makes an excellent point that people are so busy throughout the day, they sometimes don't realize what all they are putting in their mouths. I'll admit that I too am guilty of this type of eating. Having someone keep track of their food and beverage intake and their amount of exercise they are receiving can help reduce or eliminate this mindless eating. Self-monitoring also can give the patient or client more self control when it comes to making smart, healthy choices.
Yes, I would use some of these findings while speaking to clients/patients about weight loss goals. Using practical or real life application examples and stories helps people to tune into education and persue suggestions. Due to the reported success associated between weight loss and self-monitoring, clients/patients may be more inclined to try it.
I would use the findings of the review with confidence. I strongly believe that when people keep a journal or diary it helps them to hold themselves accountable. If they know that they have to write down at the end of the day that they eat half a pie and sat on the couch all day, I believe they will take actions to change that. Now they may omit a mini size candy bar once in awhile but as long as they are seeing results and feeling like they are making progress then it is working.
The take-away message for me from this review is that there is evidence that self-monitoring can be an effective weightloss tool, but I would be hesitant to use findings from this review with clients because I would want to know more about which methods work best and which populations benefit from the different methods. I think the findings make better suggestions to further research than for application. That said, I would still encourage self-monitoring in general to clients because, despite the limitations in the studies, the research does show it can aid client success.
Yes, I definitely would. I think that when trying to lose weight it’s very important for one to hold themselves accountable for what they put in their mouths and how much physical activity they participate in. Also, if the patient is finding that they are not losing weight and wondering why, a dietitian could review their food diary and possibly find some reasons why they are not losing weight. If the diet seems to check out yet the patient isn’t losing weight the one could refer to the physical activity journal and possibly point out some reasons why the weight loss isn’t happening. However, I am not sure I would encourage my patient to continuously weigh themselves every day. I think it would be better to just have the patient weight themselves once a week instead of daily because actual fat loss cannot be acquired in just one day.
1) I believe the research provided by this article could be quite useful in a session when speaking with a patient/client. It’s possible that a client may be more likely to take the information seriously if studies can be provided with proof to show that the method is effective. Therefore, this information could be utilized to motivate a client to become more serious about monitoring their own weight loss instead of maybe seeing it as a burden.
Kathy, you bring up a great point. I agree that it would be great to know more about the methods. Perhaps this can be a good reminder that patients/clients need encouragement and to be able to know that it is okay to slip up while they are finding the best way for them to self-monitor. Different methods will work differently for people.
Sarah G.-
Your point that self-tracking is not for everyone is very interesting. It seems that it is almost assumed that everyone should use this method when trying to lose weight, and indeed I believe that it is very effective. But it is possible that if we present this method as the only possible method, that those people who despise recording things may become discouraged and give up. In the case of these individuals, it could simply be that effective education and goal setting could be more efficient in promoting their weight loss than insisting they must write everything down.
Ali touched on an important point. Daily weigh-ins can be discourage or misleading sometimes. Maybe a daily log is too much and placing too much pressure on the individuals maybe a weekly log would be more effective.
Anna, I could not agree more. Gaining sense of empowerment from seeing progress in writing will help many achieve great self-efficacy. It is not always about the details being perfect in writing, but rather the ultimate take-away from the process.
I agree with most everyone that these findings would help to show the usefulness of self monitoring intake and activity, which may otherwise seem like a burden to clients and patients. It is important to have scientific findings to support the advice that we give to our clients as health professionals.
Post a Comment
<< Home