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Perspectives of a Middle‐aged Appalachian Population Regarding Healthful Eating and Weight Management
Author(s) -
Gousios Ashley,
Thompson Stephanie,
Marra Melissa Ventura
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.31.1_supplement.961.26
Subject(s) - overweight , medicine , thematic analysis , gerontology , focus group , weight loss , population , psychological intervention , weight management , appalachia , obesity , demography , qualitative research , family medicine , environmental health , nursing , paleontology , social science , marketing , sociology , business , biology
Nearly 36% of West Virginians are obese, and middle‐aged adults in the state (43%) have higher rates than children, younger and older adults. Understanding a population's barriers to weight loss is key to developing culturally targeted nutrition interventions. The main purpose of this mixed methods study was to determine what factors participants felt facilitated and deterred healthful eating behaviors and weight loss efforts. Participants were overweight or obese with at least one risk factor for cardiovascular disease including hypertension, type 2 diabetes, or hyperlipidemia. Thirty participants, 17 males and 13 females (45–64 years of age) from two counties in West Virginia, completed online surveys and engaged in focus groups (n=9). Transcripts of the group discussions were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Overall, addressable themes included factors such as time, cost, lack of knowledge, and family influence. More men were motivated to lose weight by appearance and physical fitness, while more women were motivated by special occasions. Both felt convenience and temptation of unhealthy foods deterred them from sustaining a healthful diet. Most participants (96.6%) agreed that eating healthfully and losing weight would benefit their health. However, despite recommendations by physicians to lose weight, most (69.0%) didn't feel they received enough information to facilitate change. Among the most preferred services were one‐on‐one consultations with a dietitian either in their home (36.7%) or doctor's office (33.3%) or via a video call at home (33.3%). Other preferred tools included short online video clips on cooking, shopping, and meal planning (46.7%) and a nutrition coach they could call or email with questions (43.3%). Weight loss interventions designed to include dietitians' advice and that address strategies for overcoming barriers are needed to reduce diet‐related health disparities among Appalachian populations.