P903 - AN AUDIT ON THE PATIENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF THE ‘PLATE MODEL’ IN DIETARY INTERVENTIONS IN WEIGHT REDUCTION

P903

AN AUDIT ON THE PATIENTS' UNDERSTANDING OF THE ‘PLATE MODEL’ IN DIETARY INTERVENTIONS IN WEIGHT REDUCTION

R. Shanmuganathan^1,*, P. V. Logenthiran², S. Kurukulaarachchi¹

¹Medical Nutrition Unit, National Hospital Sri Lanka, Colombo, ²Physiology, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Nugegoda, Sri Lanka

Rationale: Amongst dietary interventions for weight management, key educational strategy is   understanding and applying the plate model. This audit assessed patients’   understanding of the plate model to ascertain its effectiveness in facilitating   adherence to dietary recommendations in overweight and obese adults.

Methods: Cross-sectional audit was conducted on 30 adults who attended weight management clinic at National Hospital Sri Lanka (NHSL) over one month. Adults aged 18–65 years who have received at least one session of nutritional counselling   based on the plate model were included. Patients' ability to describe the plate model and its use on an average main meal were assessed with a structured self-administered questionnaire followed by a food plate demonstration. Audit starndrad was taken from Guideline on Management of Overweight and Obesity among Adults in Sri Lanka. Descriptive statistics were applied to analyze data, with proportions obtained for correct understanding and application.

Results: Thirteen patients (43%) correctly described the components of the plate model, and 6 (20%) applied it to correctly describe a main meal. Only 20% (n=6) were able to achieve both facets correctly, reflecting sufficient comprehension. This is below the good clinical practice benchmark of ≥80% in nutritional education.

Conclusion: The audit highlighted patients' suboptimal understanding of the plate model during   weight loss dietary management. Based on these findings, emphasis should be given to enhance educational interventions, including consistent use of visual aids and reinforced messaging at follow-up visits. These interventions will maximize patient engagement and compliance, in line with national guidelines for the management of obesity.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared