J Korean Acad Fam Med.  1997 Oct;18(10):1042-1053.

The Response to a Cholesterol-Lowering Diet Instructed by Physicians and Dieticians

• Lee GY
• Park TJ
• Kim KJ

Abstract

BACKGROUND: This study was performed to compare the effectiveness of cholesterol-lowering diet therapy instructed by physicians with that instructed by dieticians using techniques that remove regression to the mean.
METHODS
118 patients who visited the office of Family Medicine department in Pusan Paik Hospital from February to November, 1996 and had serum total cholesterol(TC) concentrations greater or equal to 200mg/dL from two measurements were enrolled. The patients were divided into two groups randomly according to the cholesterol-lowering dietary education methods : the one was educated by physicians(Group I), and the other by dieticians(Group II). We evaluated the differences of lipid levels after education in consideration of regression to the mean.
RESULTS
The mean reduction in TC concentrations achieved by dietary therapy was 10.7 % and 7.3%(without and with adjustment for regression to the mean) in Group I, and 9.8 and 6.5%(without and with adjustment, for regression to the mean) in Group II. The baseline TC concentrations and TC concentrations after dietary therapy were significantly different in individual group regardless of adjustment for regression to the mean. However, the reduction degrees of TC concentrations were not significantly different between two groups.
CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that even after adjustment for regression to the mean, dietary therapy will achieve the expected reduction. And it seems that the diet education by physicians will be effective as much as that by dieticians.

MeSH Terms

Busan
Diet Therapy
Diet*
Education
Humans
Nutritionists*