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Weight, body mass index and behaviour change in a commercially run lifestyle programme for young people
Author(s) -
Stubbs J.,
Pallister C.,
Avery A.,
Allan J.,
Lavin J.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
journal of human nutrition and dietetics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.951
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1365-277X
pISSN - 0952-3871
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-277x.2011.01224.x
Subject(s) - medicine , body mass index , attendance , weight change , obesity , weight management , young adult , observational study , demography , gerontology , behaviour change , weight loss , overweight , psychiatry , sociology , economics , economic growth , psychological intervention
How to cite this article
Stubbs J., Pallister C., Avery A., Allan J. & Lavin J. (2012) Weight, body mass index and behaviour change in a commercially run lifestyle programme for young people. J Hum Nutr Diet. 25 , 161–166 Abstract Background: There are few practical, scalable, community‐based solutions that provide ongoing support to combat the recent rapid rise in obesity in young people. A commercial weight management organisation (CWMO) has developed a tailored version of its programme for young people. The present study assessed the programme’s impact on self‐reported body weight, body mass index (BMI; kg m −2 ) and health‐related behaviour changes in participating young people. Methods: Seventy‐nine current young members completed a web‐based questionnaire on age, height, weight and self‐reported eating and activity behaviours for when they joined the programme and at the time of survey. Inclusion criteria were age 11–15 years old and membership for at least 1 month. Subjects completed the questionnaire online via the CWMO website. This was a retrospective observational study without a control group. All data were self‐reported. Results: Mean (SD) age was 13.4 (1.4) years and start weight was 78.5 (16.7) kg; 67% were >99th centile for BMI. Mean (SD) attendance was 23 (19) weeks; weight change was −5.0 (4.5) kg; BMI change was −2.5 (2.0) kg m −2 ; and BMI Z ‐score change was −0.5 (0.4) (all P < 0.001). Height increased by 0.01 (0.03) m ( P < 0.01); however, height Z ‐score remained unchanged. Regression analysis showed that BMI Z ‐score change was related to increased fruit and vegetable intake ( P = 0.012), as well as a decrease in avoidance of moderate and intense activity (both P < 0.003). Conclusions: This programme for overweight and obese young people helped implement behaviour and lifestyle changes that were associated with significant reductions in self‐reported weight and BMI Z ‐score, without compromising growth in height.