Theses and Dissertations Collection

The goal of this research was to examine the importance of nutrition education, identify the components of nutrition education programs, and understand how dietary intake was evaluated in the treatment of alcohol abuse disorders. A web survey was offered to 56 treatment facilities in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Nutrition education and dietary intake evaluation were examined using qualitative data extracted from the survey results. Eighteen surveys were completed and analyzed. The survey results indicated that 77% of alcohol treatment facilities provide nutrition education. The majority of respondents indicated that nutrition education is an important component of the treatment of alcohol abuse disorders; however, 100% reported they did not perform dietary intake evaluations on their clients, primarily due to a lack of funding and the large number of individuals seeking treatment. These results suggest that future research should continue to promote nutrition education in the treatment of alcohol abuse disorders and increase dietary intake evaluation in alcohol-dependent individuals while in treatment and following discharge from the facilities. Future research should also evaluate dietary behavior change in recovering individuals prior to treatment, and following discharge from residential alcohol treatment facilities.