Background and purpose: Educational programs are of great importance to enhance geriatrics nutritional knowledge and improve their food consumption pattern. The stage of change model (Transtheoretical model) is one of the methods to identify and adjust dietary pattern. This study was conducted to determine the effects of Transtheoretical educational model on nutritional knowledge of geriatrics in Gilane-gharb, 2010. Materials and methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 150 people ≥60 years of age. The participants were selected through systematic sampling method and were divided into two groups of experimental and control, both consisting of 75 individuals. In this survey general nutrition knowledge questionnaire and also stages of fruit and vegetable consumption questionnaire were used. After implementing pre-test, according to stages of change, the participants were divided into five groups. Then educational interventions were performed for all groups in health centers through group discussions, an informative booklet and food pyramid poster. The educational sessions included two sessions for pre-contemplation, contemplation and preparation followed by one session for action and maintenance. The data was analyzed using SPSS17, central tendency indices, independent and paired t-test, one way ANOVA and chi-square tests. Results: The mean age of participants in experimental and control groups were 65.2 ± 4.12 and 65.4 ± 3.91, respectively. Before educational intervention, two groups were not significantly different regarding demographic variables, knowledge scores and stages of fruit and vegetable consumption. In this study the mean score of knowledge in experimental group before the intervention was 7.83±2.4 which increased significantly to 10.4 ± 2.34 (P<0.001). Moreover, the stages of fruit and vegetable intake increased toward motivational (preparation) and more active (action) stages. Conclusion: The findings prove the positive effects of educational program based on the stages of change model on nutrition knowledge and the stages of fruit and vegetable consumption. Promoting the health status of geriatrics is one of the main concerns of health authorities. Therefore, developing such educational programs could improve nutritional behaviors of this age group.

Keywords: Stages of change model, nutrition education, geriatrics

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