Effects of indirect lifestyle intervention through spouses on body weight and metabolic syndrome components: a 2-year follow-up study / 体力科学

ABSTRACT

Our previous study revealed that a 14-week indirect lifestyle intervention (LSI) implemented through wives had significant effects on weight loss among obese men. The purpose of the current study was to compare long-term maintenance of body weight after LSI between direct (DI) and indirect (II) intervention groups. Of participants in the previous intervention study, 15 men in the DI group and 24 married couples in the II group consented to a 2-year follow-up measurement session. Body weight, metabolic syndrome (MS) components, daily energy intake, and activity energy expenditure were measured pre- and post-LSI and at the follow-up. Participation rate in the 2-year follow-up tended to be higher in the II group (66.7%) than in the DI group (44.1%). Changes in body weight during the 2-year period in the DI and II groups were 1.4 ± 2.9 kg (<i>P</i> = 0.09) and 1.0 ± 3.4 kg (<i>P</i> = 0.15), respectively. There were no differences in the measurements or their changes between the two groups at the 2-year follow-up; however, we did find a significant correlation in the change in energy intake (<i>r</i> = 0.68, <i>P</i> < 0.01) between wives and husbands. While we found no significant difference in body weight maintenance between the DI and II groups, our study showed that many husbands in the II group succeeded in long-term maintenance of their weight loss, indicating that an indirect LSI through wives can affect the long-term maintenance of body weight among obese men.