The Effectiveness of Nutritional Interventions Based on Health Education and Promotion Theories and Models: A Systematic Review

Background: The content of nutrition education and the process of behavioral change should be designed based on the principles of educational for achieving behavioral goals. This systematic study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of nutrition interventions designed mainly by health educational and promotional theory and models. Methods: The PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Cochrane databases were searched using the following keywords “nutrition behavior” or “food behavior” or “dietary behavior” and “model” or “theory” and “intervention” or “predict” from 2013 up to April 2018 in English Language. Results: Regarding the inclusion criteria, 25 interventional studies were assessed of 3090 primary screened investigations. Social Cognitive Theory, Empowerment model, Theory of Planned Behavior, and Health Belief Model were mostly used in the investigated studies. Most target groups in these studies were school students and women. In the field of constructs, self-efficacy and attitude mainly applied in studies seem to be the most important for researchers. In the field of educational methods, group educational methods in the forms of lectures, group discussions, and brainstorming were mainly applied by researchers. Conclusion: To change eating behaviors, the study framework, duration of training, and correct training method should be designed according to the target group as well as appropriate theory and models.