Comparison of 2-Year Weight Loss Trends in Behavioral Treatments of Obesity: Diet, Exercise, and Combination Interventions
Section snippets
Procedures and Subjects
The study sample consisted of men and women between the ages of 25 and 45 years who volunteered for an obesity treatment program. Subjects were recruited from the metropolitan area of Houston, Tex, through media announcements. The study protocol was approved by the institutional review boards of Baylor College of Medicine and the Methodist Hospital. Subjects were at least 14 kg overweight and not currently engaged in regular exercise. Each subject deposited $100 in an account, which was
Statistical Methods
Preliminary analysis using the ÷2 statistic (19) compared the three treatment groups by sex and by availability for follow-up.
To evaluate the potential for selection bias, an analysis of variance (ANOVA) model was applied that included treatment group and loss to follow-up as main effects and interaction terms. Participants who were available for follow-up and those who were lost to follow-up were compared in terms of these dependent variables: initial body weight, ideal body weight, initial
Attrition
Attrition over the course of the study is shown in (Table 1). Of the 127 subjects who were randomly assigned to the three treatment conditions, 86 remained with the treatment program throughout its 1-year duration. Preliminary evaluation indicated that, at the end of 1 year, the three treatment groups did not differ by sex (÷2=0.16; df=2- P=.924); ideal body weight, which was defined as mean weight for height and medium frame from the Metropolitan tables (20) (ANOVA F=0.02; df=2.82; P
Discussion
This study addressed the hypothesis that the combination of diet and exercise is the most effective behavior modification treatment for long-term weight control. The study was designed to compare the effects of treatment condition (diet only, exercise only, and the combination of diet and exercise) on the success of weight loss and maintenance by overweight, free-living adults 2 years after enrollment in a behavior modification program. No significant difference in weight status was noted among
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