The Effect of Nutrition Education and Excercise Program on Body Composition and Dietary Intakes, Blood Lipid and Physical Fitness in Obese Women

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the effects of the nutrition education and exercise program on body composition, dietary intakes and physical fitness in obese women. The subjects were 44 obese women (BMI> or = 25 kg/m2) who had been participating in nutrition education (1 time/week) and exercise program (3 time/week) for 12 weeks. Nutrition education was focused on low energy, high protein and low carbohydrate diet to reduce the body weight and improve the diet quality. To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, daily nutrient intakes were assessed by 24-hour recall method. Body composition, blood lipid profiles and physical fitness test were assessed before and after the intervention. After the intervention, body weight, BMI, percent body fat, soft lean mass and waist/hip ratio were significantly decreased (p < 0.001). Fasting blood sucrose, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol and atherogenic index (AI) were significantly decreased (p < 0.001), while HDL-cholesterol was significantly increased (p < 0.001). Energy adjusted protein, fiber, vitamin A, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin E, niacin and folate were significantly increased. After the intervention, the muscle endurance, muscle strength, agility, balance were significantly increased. The changes in obesity indices (body weight, BMI, percent body fat, waist-hip ratio) were correlated with the changes of the nutrient intakes, serum lipid profiles, physical fitness. These results show that nutrition education and exercise program was effective not only for weight reduction but also for the improvement of physical strength and cardiovascular disease risk factors in obese women.