Effectiveness of motivational interviewing on college women's intake, knowledge, and value of calcium and vitamin D

Osteoporosis is a serious health issue in the United States. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of using motivational interviewing (MI) techniques to encourage college women to increase their calcium and vitamin D intakes, knowledge, and value to incorporate calcium and vitamin D rich foods for osteoporosis prevention.;Forty-one female students were recruited from introductory nutrition courses at California State University, Long Beach. Eighteen participants completed the study. Results showed that participants who received MI group based counseling had a significantly higher calcium intake and vitamin D knowledge score than the control group. There were no significant findings between the intervention and control groups' vitamin D intake, calcium knowledge score, and value to consume calcium and vitamin D rich foods. Findings suggest MI may be effective in encouraging college women to adopt positive health behaviors concerning bone health. Implications, limitations, and recommendations for future studies were discussed.