Table 1.
Characteristics of the 13 studies that met the inclusion criteria of a scoping review of nutrition education programs for adults with neurological diseases.
| Year | Author | Study Design | Sample Size (n) | AgeMean (SD) (Years) | Intervention Description | Delivery Method | Intervention Duration and Frequency | Comparator | Behavior Change Theory Used | Number of BCTs Used | Diet/Nutrition Outcome (Tool) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dementia | |||||||||||
| 2019 | Cho and colleagues [31] | Pre-post | 23 | 83.5 (4.9) | Physical activity and nutrition education for people with mild dementia. Nutrition topics: the concept of health, proper eating habits, nutrition and nutrients, and the problems of hyper-nutrition and nutrient deficiency. | NR | 20 min; 16 sessions over 16 weeks | None | NR | 3 | Nutritional status (Mini Nutritional Assessment) |
| 2002 | Faxen-Irving and colleagues [32] | Quasi-controlled trial | 33 (IG 21; CG 12) | 84.0 (4.0) | Nutrition education for caregivers, plus nutritional supplements for people with dementia for 6 months. Education included practical exercises. Topics: malnutrition, food and nutritional requirements, dental care, detecting swallowing difficulties, altering food consistency. | Group, in-person | 12 h; 1 session | Nutritional supplement only | NR | 4 | Nutritional status (serum albumin, transferrin, B12, and hemoglobin) |
| 2020 | Hsaio and colleagues [36] | RCT | 57(IG 30; CG27) | 74.0 (10.2) | Nutrition education for people with dementia and their caregivers, including practical exercises and demonstrations. Topics: altered eating, nutritional imbalances, Mediterranean diet preparing food, healthy fast food., videos. | Group, in-person | 1 h plus 10–15 min phone calls; 6 sessions plus 3 phone calls over 3 months | Treatment as usual plus telephone counselling | Knowledge-attitude-behavior Model, Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, and the integrative model of mediators of health behavior change | 6 | Caregiver’s nutritional knowledge (Family Caregivers Nutritional Knowledge of Dementia); caregiver’s healthy eating behavior (Family Caregiver’s Healthy Eating Behavior for Dementia Checklist); and nutritional status (Mini Nutritional Assessment) |
| 2011 | Pivi and colleagues [33] | RCT | 78(IG 25; CG1 27; CG2 26) | 75.2 (76 *) | Nutrition education for people with dementia and their caregivers. Topics: nutrition in disease, behavioral changes during meals, attractive meals, constipation, hydration, administration of drugs, swallowing, food supplementation, lack of appetite. | Group, in-person | NR; 10 sessions over 6 months | CG1: treatment as usualCG2: nutritional supplement twice daily | NR | 1 | Nutritional status (total protein and serum albumin) |
| 2001 | Riviere and colleagues [34] | Non-randomized cluster trial | 225(IG 151; CG 74) | 76.3 (8.0) | Nutrition education for caregivers of people with dementia at a day hospital. Topics: weight loss consequences, eating behavior disorders, enriching food, nutritional recommendations, increasing protein and energy intake. | Group, in-person | 1 h; 9 sessions over 1 year | Treatment as usual (patients and caregivers from day hospitals in France and Spain) | NR | 9 | Nutritional status (Mini Nutritional Assessment); and caregiver’s nutritional knowledge (Family Caregivers Nutritional Knowledge of Dementia) |
| 2011 | Salva and colleagues [35] | Cluster randomized trial | 946(IG 448; CG 498) | 79 (7.3) | NutriAlz nutrition program for families and caregivers of people with dementia. Topics: weight loss, nutritional monitoring, the food pyramid, menu creation, cooking methods, food substitution, eating behavior problems. | Group, in-person | NR; 4 sessions over 1 year | Treatment as usual (five patient day care centers) | NR | 4 | Nutritional status (Mini Nutritional Assessment) |
| Multiple sclerosis | |||||||||||
| 1993 | Doidge and colleagues [37] | Pre-post | 48 | 46.9 (9.9) | Nutrition education for people with multiple sclerosis. Topics: The Action and Research for Multiple Sclerosis healthy eating plan, saturated and polyunsaturated fat, preparing food at home, understanding food labels, suitable convenience food, vitamins and minerals, weight maintenance, recipe tasting. | Group, in-person | 90 min; 8 sessions over 8 weeks | None | NR | 8 | Diet composition (daily energy intake and nutrient intakes) |
| 2019 | Katz Sand and colleagues [39] | Pilot RCT | 34(IG 18; CG 16) | 43 (NR) | Nutrition education for people with multiple sclerosis (groups of five); Mediterranean Diet. Topics: shopping tips, sample menu plan, reading food labels, eating at restaurants. Participants returned monthly (or dialed in) to discuss issues with following the diet. | Group, in-person and/or telehealth | NR; 6 sessions over 6 months | MS education seminars | NR | 6 | Dietary adherence and food group intake (food frequency questionnaire); and perceived benefits |
| 2016 | Riemann-Lorenz and colleagues [38] | Single aim, post | 11 | 38.5 (12.3) | Nutrition education for people with multiple sclerosis (1 session), including 2 short group discussions. Topics: epidemiology, research study designs, study endpoints and problems, experiences with multiple sclerosis diets, common multiple sclerosis diets, RCTs of diet and multiple sclerosis. | Group, in-person | 2 h; 1 session | None | NR | 3 | Novelty of information/knowledge; importance of information; and impact of information |
| 2020 | Wingo and colleagues [40] | Single arm, post | 18 | 46.0 (11.6) | Nutrition education and physical activity education for people with multiple sclerosis, for the low glycemic index diet, including online modules and calls from tele-coaches. Nutrition topics: meal planning, foods to eat and limit, cooking basics, healthy eating on a budget. Weeks 1–5 were standardized information. Weeks 6–12 were tailored to address barriers and goals. | Individual, telehealth | 12 online modules (time NR) and 12 20–45 min phone calls over 12 weeks | None | Health Action Process Approach | 10 | Diet quality (24-h food recall); and fat mass (dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan) |
| Stroke | |||||||||||
| 2000 | Rimmer and colleagues [41] | RCT | 35(IG 18; CG 17) | 53.2 (8.3) | Health Promotion program for stroke survivors (exercise, nutrition, and health behavior classes), including cooking demonstration and practice. Nutrition topics: low-fat and low-cholesterol foods, preparation of healthy meals, healthy food substitutes. | Group, in-person | 1 h; 36 sessions over 12 weeks | Waitlist controls | Transtheoretical (Stage of Change) Model | 11 | Dietary fat intake (Rate Your Plate Eating Pattern Assessment) and blood lipid profile (total cholesterol, high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterols, triglycerides) |
| 2020 | Towfighi and colleagues [42] | RCT | 100(IG 49; CG 51) | 58.0 (9.0) | Healthy Eating and Lifestyle After Stroke program for stroke survivors. Nutrition topics: healthy dietary patterns, monitoring food intake, food label reading, shopping, purchasing healthy foods, diet as a means of secondary stroke prevention. | Group, in-person | 2 h; 6 sessions over 6 weeks | Treatment as usual | Transtheoretical (Stage of Change) Model, Health Belief Model, and Social Cognitive Theory | 11 | Serves of fruits/vegetables per day; waist circumference; and blood lipid profile (total cholesterol, high-density and low-density lipoprotein cholesterols, triglycerides, hemoglobin A1c) |
| Parkinson’s disease | |||||||||||
| 2000 | Brenes [43] | Pre-post | 15 | 69.0 (NR) | Virtual nutrition education program for people with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers. Included lesson videos, handouts and recipes (video and written). Topics: basic nutrition, healthy eating, Parkinson’s disease and the gut, inflammation and Parkinson’s disease, constipation and hydration, and ‘protein and Levodopa. | Individual, online | Self-paced; 6 sessions over 6 weeks | None | Self-Determination Theory | 11 | Nutritional status (Mini Nutritional Assessment); intake of macronutrients, micronutrients, and food groups (Diet History Questionnaire 3); nutrition knowledge (nutrition knowledge questionnaire); motivation about nutrition knowledge |
SD, standard deviation BCTs, behavior change techniques; NR, not reported; IG, intervention group; CG, comparator group; RCT, randomized controlled trial. * Median reported.