Investigating the Effect of an Educational Intervention on Fruit and Vegetable Consumption and its Effect on Blood Lipid Levels in Government Employees: A Clustered Randomized Trial

The consumption of fruits and vegetables has a protective effect on cardiovascular disease and its associated risk factors. The present study aimed to assess the effect of educational intervention on fruit and vegetable consumption, as well as its effect on blood lipid parameters, in government employees.

This quasi-experimental cluster-randomized controlled trial was conducted in two offices in Qaem Shahr. The data collection tool included a 31-item questionnaire on the frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption and a laboratory test to measure blood lipid parameters. The Chi-square test, t-test, paired sample t-test, and ANCOVA were used for data analysis.

The study groups significantly differed in mean fruit and vegetable consumption after the six-month intervention (p<0.001). The mean total cholesterol (p<0.001) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C; p=0.005) levels were significantly different between the groups after the intervention. The mean difference of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol levels showed a significant relationship with the study groups and the interaction of gender and group (p<0.001). The mean difference of total cholesterol (p=0.008) and LDL-C had a significant relationship with the study groups (p=0.03).

Increased consumption of fruits and vegetables is only effective in improving the levels of total cholesterol and LDL-C, but not in lowering triglyceride and HDL-C levels. Therefore, influencing factors, such as the duration of fruit and vegetable consumption, as well as the time required to monitor their effect on these parameters, should be more closely examined.