Feasibility of Enlisting Social Network Members to Promote Weight Loss Among Latinas.

Feasibility of Enlisting Social Network Members to Promote Weight Loss among Latinas.

J Acad Nutr Diet. 2013 Mar 13;
Marquez B, Wing RR

Shaping network members into sources of support for healthy eating and exercise behaviors may be an effective strategy to enhance obesity treatment outcomes. This pilot study examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a behavioral weight loss intervention adapted for Latinas with a social network component. Twenty-seven Latinas (43.0±10.2 years and body mass index 36.9±5.7) participated in a 24-week randomized controlled intervention study. Participants attended group-based treatment either individually (Individual Lifestyle Group [ILG]) or with a weight loss partner selected from their existing network (Partner Lifestyle Group [PLG]). Repeated measures analysis of variance was conducted to compare ILG and PLG participants on changes in weight or psychosocial variables. Participants in both intervention groups attended 70% of treatment sessions; 96% and 100% completed assessment at post-treatment (12 weeks) and follow-up (24 weeks), respectively. Significant weight loss (P<0.01) was achieved at post-treatment (ILG -4.7±4.2 kg and PLG -4.3±4.4 kg) and follow-up (ILG -5.0±6.4 kg and PLG -4.7±5.0 kg), with nearly 50% of participants losing at least 5% of initial body weight. Both groups also experienced increased self-efficacy for weight loss (P<0.01), self-efficacy for exercise (P=0.02), and family social support for exercise habits (P=0.01). There were no significant differences between groups. Results from this study suggest a behavioral weight loss intervention for Latinas is feasible, but there is less support for the efficacy of weight loss partners. HubMed – eating

Eating behaviors and the number of buffet trips: an observational study at all-you-can-eat chinese restaurants.

Am J Prev Med. 2013 Apr; 44(4): e49-50
Wansink B, Shimizu M

HubMed – eating

Predicting self-care behaviours of patients with type 2 diabetes: The importance of beliefs about behaviour, not just beliefs about illness.

J Psychosom Res. 2013 Apr; 74(4): 327-33
French DP, Wade AN, Farmer AJ

There is evidence that perceptions of treatment may be more predictive than illness perceptions, e.g. medication adherence is often better predicted by beliefs about medication than by beliefs about illness. The present study aims to assess the generality of this finding, by comparing the extent to which self-care behaviours of patients with type 2 diabetes are predicted by patients’ beliefs about those behaviours, compared with their illness perceptions.This study is a one year prospective cohort analysis of 453 patients recruited to a randomised trial of blood glucose self-monitoring. Behaviour was assessed by the Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS) and Diabetes Self-Care Activities (DSCA) scales; illness perceptions by IPQ-R; study-specific scales of beliefs about diet and physical activity were constructed by factor analysing items based on beliefs elicited in an earlier interview study involving patients with type 2 diabetes.Past behaviour, trial group allocation, and clinical and demographic factors predicted between 16% and 35% variance in medication adherence, exercise, and diet scales. Illness perceptions added between 0.9% and 4.5% additional variance; beliefs about behaviour added a further 1.1% to 6.4% additional variance. Beliefs regarding, respectively, the importance of exercise in controlling diabetes, the need to east less, and enjoyment from eating sweet or fatty food, added unique variance.Beliefs about behaviour are at least as important as beliefs about illness in predicting several health-related behaviours. This suggests the possibility that behaviour change interventions with patient groups would be more effective by targeting beliefs about behaviour, rather than beliefs about illness. HubMed – eating