Introduction

Food Steps is a self-help, stage-based, correspondence program for healthy eating that emphasizes the reduction of dietary fat in the context of a healthy diet based on Canada's Guidelines to Healthy Eating. Food Steps was written at a grade five to seven literacy level and was written for a healthy adult population.

Food Steps is based on a behaviour change theory called the Transtheoretical Model or stages of change theory. This theory recognizes that people are at different stages when it comes to changing behaviours. When applied to eating behaviour, the stages can be described as follows:

• Precontemplation stage. People are not thinking about the way they eat at all.
• Contemplation stage. People are thinking about eating better.
• Action stage. People are actively trying to eat better.
• Maintenance stage. People have already made changes to the way they eat and want to maintain those changes.

Traditional healthy eating programs are targeted at those who are ready to change or are in the Action stage, which may be as few as 15% of the population. By targeting individuals at all stages of change, Food Steps has the potential to reach and positively influence a much larger number of people. As a self-help, correspondence program, Food Steps is more cost-effective to deliver than traditional face-to-face programs. Food Steps can also be used successfully as a complement to group programs or individual counselling.

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The Program is suitable for use in:

• community nutrition promotions through a health unit
• wellness programs at worksites
• healthy lifestyle counselling in physicians' offices
• nutrition and healthy lifestyle counselling in community health centres