Date of Award

3-25-2022

Document Type

Open Access Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Medical Science (MMSc)

First Advisor

Nicola Hawley, PhD

Abstract

The Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet is more effective as a standalone treatment at lowering blood pressure than any pharmaceutical intervention alone, but adherence is poor and current interventions to improve adherence only show marginal improvements. Personalized meal plans are effective at improving diet adherence in other chronic conditions and may serve as an effective intervention for DASH diet adherence. In a randomized controlled trial, we will determine whether nutritional counseling plus personalized meal planning (intervention) improves DASH adherence more than nutritional counseling alone (control). We will randomize n=178 adults with primary hypertension to either the intervention or control condition and compare DASH adherence scores after 3- and 12-months. Adherence scores will be compared using Student’s t-tests and a 1.56-point change will be considered clinically significant. Improving DASH diet adherence has the potential to improve medical management of hypertension and lessen its massive social and economic burden.

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