|
Healthy, Well-Nourished Population
"Healthy Weight 4 Life"
Issue
Overweight and obesity affect more than 50 percent of the U.S. population,
according to recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control. There
is a critical need for effective weight management programs that integrate
all the factors that contribute to obesity. A university environment
can facilitate multi-disciplinary, collaborative approaches combining
research and community outreach. At the University of Arizona, researchers
in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and the College of
Medicine, are working together to develop and test a sound, scientifically-based
weight loss program.
What has been done?
Faculty from the Department of Nutritional Sciences in the UA College
of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Department of Physiology in
the UA College of Medicine developed a comprehensive weight loss program
called "Healthy Weight 4 Life." One hundred fifty women enrolled
in 2001. Phase One includes a weight loss curriculum emphasizing four
elements: increased physical activity, healthy eating, developing healthy
interpersonal relationships, and dealing with psychological and emotional
barriers to weight loss. Phase Two features 18 months of subsequent
online support that offers encouragement for participants in maintaining
their weight loss. The Web-based format is more cost-effective than
weekly face-to-face follow-up meetings. The UA researchers are testing
this method for its efficacy and usefulness in promoting and maintaining
long-term weight loss.
Impact
Of the 150 women who began the program in 2000, the average weight loss
during the first 16 weeks was 11 pounds. Some women lost more than 40
pounds. More than 75 percent of the women enrolled in Phase Two, the
online support phase, have maintained their weight or continued to lose
more weight over the first 12-18 months of follow-up. Some of the women
in the program bordered on class II obesity when they started. Over
the past year, the program has been successfully translated into a broader
community program in Tucson, with an advisory board of former research
participants helping to coordinate and administrate the effort.
"I lost 44 pounds and now I am able to wear clothes I haven't worn
in years. How is this program different from others I have tried? It
has all the elements to succeed. The nutrition, the hydration, the physical
activity, mind and body, and the support groups. My physical activity
grew from none to 500 to 600 minutes of activity a week or sometimes
more. Thanks to this program, I started the New Year with a size 8,
[down] from a size 16 or sometimes 18. Believe me, I do not miss my
previous size."
participant
"The program was a lot of things to me...fun, new friends, professional
people to learn from, informational in terms of exercise and nutrition,
but most of all it took me from feelings of isolation, despair and depression
over my weight and physical health to feelings that I am not alone with
my struggles and I can control my weight and to some extent my physical
health." participant.
Funding
National Institute for Diabetes, Digestive and Kidney Diseases
Contact
Scott Going, associate research scientist
Department of Nutritional Sciences
The University of Arizona
238 Shantz Bldg.
Tucson, AZ 85721
Tel.: (520) 621-4705, FAX: (520) 621-8170
Email: going@u.arizona.edu
Return to the Title Page Return to the Table of Contents
|