| Popis: |
We conducted a study at two worksites of a major corporation to ascertain whether our nutrition and weight-control program would lead volunteer participants to achieve a mean weight loss of 1 pound per week and would improve their nutrition knowledge, attitude toward nutrition, eating behavior, and leisure-time physical activity. Study participants were 103 employees; 47 were blue-collar workers at a petroleum refinery and 56 were white-collar workers at a chemical plant. We assigned approximately half the participants at each site to a treatment group that participated in the program and the other half to a delayed-treatment control group. The four groups' initial mean weights ranged from 120 to 127% of desirable body weight. Company nurses conducted the nine-week program. Of the 52 treatment group participants who enrolled, 32 (61%) completed the program. These 32 individuals lost significantly (p ≤.001) more weight than controls, 8.5 ± 0.08 pounds and 0.7 ± 0.7 lbs., respectively; and the mean weekly weight loss of the treatment group was 0.94 pounds. Weight loss did not vary with study site. Questionnaire data indicated that at both sites the treatment group exhibited greater improvement than controls in their attitude toward the importance of nutrition to health, eating behavior, and leisure-time physical activity. At the refinery the treatment group had greater improvement in nutrition knowledge than did the controls. However, this was not the case at the chemical plant. The program led to attainment of most of the objectives, and both the nurses and participants gave the program high ratings. |
