14 DAY TRIAL // Information is not enough to change a person's way of life, concluded a new study. It focused on the effect that a community program promoting self health management might have on a group of women, with an average age of 40.
250 mature mothers, healthy, overweight and obese, took part to the study conducted by professor Helena Teede from the Jean Hailes Foundation Research Group at Monash University in Melbourne. 127 were part of an intervention group that attended four sessions of an hour each, that involved plain health messages, group discussions, self monitoring, behavior change strategies and personal goals. They also received supportive monthly text messages, for the following 12 months.
The 123 women in the other control group participated once at a non-interactive meeting informing them about diet and physical activity guidelines. A pedometer was given to them, to use if they wanted to, without any further recommendations. Both group members were measured and weight, and the operation was repeated at the end of the 12 months of the experiment.
The study concluded that the 127 women that attended the Help-her community program did not gain any weight or even lost a little, contrary to those from the control group that put on an average of 0.83kg. Participants from the intervention group were in better physical shape and had a better physical activity than the control group, and also their heart tests and cholesterol level improved.
As obesity is becoming an ever growing problem in developing countries, simple solutions may exist in preventing women's weight gain. 60 percent of the Australian population is overweight or obese and the World Health Organization recommended that efforts should be made to prevent even people within an acceptable weight range, from gaining weight. Women having a family are an even more important target because they can influence the lifestyle and alimentary habits of their husbands and children.
Researchers say that their “findings suggest that excess weight gain in women may be prevented by using a low intensity community based program that promotes self management and includes personal contact with ongoing remote support.”