Weight Loss Program in Samoa
A nutrition and exercise intervention program
for controlling weight in Samoan communities in New Zealand.
Weight Loss Study Aim
To promote weight loss in Samoan church communities through an exercise
program and nutrition education.
Weight Loss Study Method
A quasi-experimental design was used to assess weight change, over 1 year,
in cohorts of people aged 20-77 years from three non-randomised Samoan
church communities in Auckland, New Zealand. The intervention churches
received aerobics sessions and nutrition education about dietary fat.
Weight Loss Study Results
Baseline body mass index for the intervention and control churches was
34 and 34 kg/m2, respectively. The intervention churches lost an average
of 0.4±0.3 kg compared to a 1.3±0.6 kg weight gain in the
control church. The number of people who were vigorously active increased
by 10 percent in the intervention churches compared to a 5 percent decline
in the control church. Nutrition education had little apparent impact
on knowledge or behaviour.
Weight Loss Study Conclusion
Samoan communities in New Zealand are very obese and have high rates of
annual weight gain. A community-based intervention program arrested this
weight gain in the short term.
Source: International Journal of Obesity
(2001)
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