1. Randomised controlled trial of
a theory-based intervention
promoting fruit and vegetable
consumption
Emily Kothe & Barbara Mullan

2. Background
• Increasing fruit and vegetable consumption
leads to decreased risk of serious illness.
• Young adults eat less fruit and vegetables
than any age group.

3. What is Fresh Facts?
• Web-based intervention to increase fruit
and vegetable consumption in young adults
– Email delivered intervention
– Based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour
– 30 day intervention program – with emails every 3
days.

4. What is Fresh Facts?
• Content
– Was developed in pilot studies young adults
– Was based on the Taxonomy of Behaviour
Change Techniques
– Targeted attitude, subjective norm and
perceived behavioural control

5. The Fresh Facts Evaluation
Pilot work had suggested that Fresh Facts:
• Is acceptable to participants1 and results in
increases in fruit and vegetable intake
relative to baseline.2
• This study tested Fresh Facts using a more
robust RCT design.
1. Kothe, E. J., & Mullan, B. A. (in press). Acceptability and feasibility of an email-based nutrition intervention using the
theory of planned behaviour in Australia: Fresh Facts. Health Promotion International.
2. Kothe, E. J., Mullan, B. A., & Butow, P. (2012). Promoting fruit and vegetable consumption: Testing an intervention
based on the theory of planned behaviour. Appetite.

7. Attitude
Significant intervention effect

8. Subjective norm

9. Perceived behavioural control

10. Intention

11. Fruit and vegetable intake

12. The Fresh Facts Evaluation
• The intervention lead to improvements in
attitude and subjective norm that were not
translated to changes in behaviour.
• Previous reports of intervention effectiveness
can be explained by changes not related to
Fresh Facts itself.

13. Implications
• More research is needed to understand
mechanisms behind control group change.
• Researchers may need to target more
proximal antecedents of fruit and vegetable
consumption to achieve change.

14. Thank you
emily.kothe@deakin.edu.au

15. The Fresh Facts Evaluation
Across both groups, significant increases in:
– Subjective norm
– Perceived behavioural control
– Intention
– Fruit and vegetable consumption
Between baseline and follow-up

16. The Fresh Facts Evaluation
The intervention lead to increases in:
– Attitude and subjective norm
But not in:
– Perceived behavioural control
– Intention
– Fruit and vegetable consumption

17. The Fresh Facts Evaluation
• Female: 75%
• Living with parents: 76%
• Identified primary ethnicity as:
– Australian: 38%
– Northeast Asian: 27%
– Southeast Asian: 12%

18. The Fresh Facts Evaluation
Attitude Subjective Norm Perceived
Behavioural Control
Provide general Provide information Arguments to bolster
information on the about others’ behaviour self-efficacy
health-behavioural link
Provide general Provide information Provide instruction
information on the about others’ approval
material consequences
of behaviour

19. The Fresh Facts Evaluation
• Baseline:
– 2-item fruit and vegetable screener*
– Block FFQ*
– Demographics
– Theory of planned behaviour questionnaire*
• Follow-up
– Starred items repeated at 1 month