Reference no: EM133766004

Question

Cholesterol is a natural and necessary substance in human bodily tissues. But excessive levels of cholesterol, especially low-density lipoproteins (LDL), in the blood can cause narrowing and blockage of arteries, leading to coronary heart disease. Primary care clinics throughout the city routinely screen patients aged 20 and higher for high LDL cholesterol. An intervention program, "Gettin Out the Gunk," has been designed for patients with high LDL levels (i.e., LDL 160 mg/dL) or other risk factors. Gettin Out the Gunk is based upon a simplistic model that posits that dietary intake of LDL is influenced by (a) motivation to eat a low-fat diet, (b) knowledge of the cholesterol content of various foods, and (c) self-efficacy to eat a low LDL diet. Dietary intake of LDL, in turn, works in concert with other factors to influence circulating LDL levels. You have been hired to evaluate the effectiveness of this program. Upon your recommendation, the implementing agency has agreed to conduct a randomized controlled trial. As a result, patients who volunteer for the experiment will be randomly assigned either to participate in the Gettin Out the Gunk experimental intervention, which consists of five weekly educational sessions designed to help patients with high.