A low-cost competitive approach to weight reduction in a Native American community

Native Americans from two Indian communities, Zuni and Pine Hill, New Mexico, participated in a weight loss competition that utilized promotional, educational and motivational techniques to bring about changes in dietary and exercise behaviors. This evaluative study documents the impact of age, sex, tribal affiliation, initial weight, educational level, employment status, dietary attitude and exercise patterns on program completion and goal attainment. Of 271 participants, 122 (45 percent) completed the competition and lost five pounds or more ('finishers/goal weight achievers'); 127 (47 percent) completed the competition but failed to lose five pounds ('finishers/non-goal achievers'); and 22 (8 percent) did not complete the competition ('non-finishers'). Non-finishers had significantly fewer years of formal education and were more likely to be self-employed or unemployed than finishers. Finishers/goal weight achievers had a significantly greater proportion of males, a greater initial weight and an increased compliance with record-keeping compared to finishers/non-goal achievers. The relative success of the Zuni-Pine Hill 'Eat Right' weight loss competition establishes its importance as a public health model for health behavior change in communities with similar population profiles.