In-store community nutrition education : focus on the 'silent disease' of osteoporosis

Abstract

Osteoporosis is one of the non-communicable diseases which affects a portion of our population. In view of this reality, a small-scale, contained social marketing intervention on bone health was conducted. This intervention was divided into two phases, both of which promoted bone health and the prevention of osteoporosis among female adults. The first phase of the intervention consisted of general awareness-raising about osteoporosis within a highly frequented local supermarket. The aim was to target as wide an audience as possible. A convenience sample from the first phase took part in the second phase. Participants were segmented according to the transtheoretical model and only individuals who were in the Preparation stage of this theoretical framework were recruited. This phase consisted of a tailored educational intervention whereby a number of learning activities were organised. These were constructively built on the participants' knowledge, attitudes and skills and were aimed at promoting behaviour change that would help reduce the risk of osteoporosis. Both the quantitative and qualitative results revealed that the intervention had a positive impact on participants in the short-term, in terms of increasing their knowledge and promoting a positive attitude towards bone health. Furthermore, after the intervention all the participants engaged in one or even more positive behaviours which were promoted during the sessions and, more importantly, they felt empowered to keep up with their achievement. Based on this study's results it is recommended that national health promotion campaigns and other health or nutrition related education interventions are developed targetting different segments of society, based on their needs and wants, and delivered using appropriate vehicles and venues.