Taking control of your personal eating and exercise environment: a weight maintenance program

Area of Science:

• Obesity research
• Behavioral science
• Public health

Background:

• Obesity is a significant public health concern.
• Effective long-term weight management strategies are needed.
• Behavioral weight loss programs (BWLP) show promise but require enhancement for sustained results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of a weight maintenance intervention (MI) on weight loss outcomes.
• To determine if an additional MI enhances weight loss maintenance compared to BWLP alone.
• To assess the effectiveness of creating a personal healthy food and physical activity environment.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-one obese adults were randomized into two groups: BWLP with no contact (NC) or BWLP with a 6-week MI.
• Interventions included a 16-week weight loss phase followed by either NC or MI.
• Assessments included body weight, body fat, cardiorespiratory fitness, physical activity, and dietary intake.

Main Results:

• Participants in both groups achieved significant weight loss, increased physical activity, and improved diet.
• The MI group demonstrated significantly greater weight loss maintenance compared to the NC group.
• Improvements in weight, fitness, and diet were statistically significant (p<.05).

Conclusions:

• A weight maintenance intervention empowering individuals to modify their environment is effective for long-term weight loss.
• Reducing exposure to obesogenic cues through personal environmental modification aids weight loss maintenance.
• Targeting personal eating and physical activity environments is a viable strategy for obesity management.