Lifestyle Modification in the Prevention and Management of Obesity

Overweight/obesity is one of the most prevalent health problems on a global scale. This special issue intended to provide an academic platform for research which has used lifestyle interventions to facilitate and sustain weight loss. The published articles include a systematic review and original research articles. In the review A. Baker et al. assessed the impact of long-term physical activity interventions for overweight/obese postmenopausal women, on indicators of obesity, physical capacity, and mental health measures. Five electronic data-were searched for relevant studies. After using appropriate search words and filters, 378 potentially relevant articles were found. For the final review ten articles of five RCTs were included. The findings showed that addressing intra-and interpersonal levels of behavior change resulted in several positive outcomes on adiposity measures (e.g., the BMI, fat mass, and measures of central obesity) and in physical capacity measures. The original research included a study by S. J. Zizzi et al. which aimed to determine the reasons why people dropped out from a two-year, community-based weight management program and the consequences of the program. There were 400 participants of the community-based weight management program; their average length of participation was 9.8 months (SD 5.6). After applying rigorous methods of coding, seven main reasons emerged to explain why people dropped out of the program. The first three were (i) competing priorities (36.9 percent), medical reasons (22.8 percent), and negative experiences (13.1 percent). Both positive and negative consequences were noted after the program. The positive consequences included positive changes in attitude, behavioral changes, and physical benefits. A study by B. Livia et al. assessed the motivation to adopt and sustain changes in lifestyle, with respect to two domains: (i) physical activity and (ii) nutrition. Motivation to change is considered a dynamic process with five stages. These are pre-contemplation; contemplation; determination; action; and maintenance. The participants were 100 overweight/obese persons (mean age 54.49, SD 11.03, 34 percent with comorbid-ity of type 2 DM). The intervention was given for 3 months, to groups of 5-6 patients with 26 sessions. After the intensive 3-month intervention the two stages of precontemplation and contemplation decreased significantly, whereas the two stages of action and maintenance increased significantly. This suggested that the intensive intervention (of 3 months) was adequate to initiate the process towards adopting and maintaining a healthier lifestyle. Original research was carried out by C. Drenowatz et al. to compare physical activity patterns and changes in …