A cognitive-behavioral weight control program improves eating and smoking behaviors in weight-concerned female smokers.

Many people use smoking as a weight control mechanism and are averse to quitting for fear of weight gain. These weight-concerned smokers tend to be women, are significantly less likely to stop smoking or to join smoking cessation programs, and will relapse more often than smokers who are not weight-concerned. Research suggests that a woman's motivation to quit smoking correlates positively with her confidence in her ability to control her weight after quitting. Likewise, success in smoking cessation has been associated with increased self-efficacy for weight control. This randomized controlled trial investigated the effects of a weight control program on eating and smoking behaviors in a group of female, weight-concerned smokers from July 2005 to June 2006. Two hundred sixteen subjects who wanted to lose weight but were not yet ready to quit smoking were recruited to participate in a 12-week, cognitive-behavioral weight control program consisting of 12 1-hour sessions. Subjects were randomly assigned to either the weight-control program (intervention group) or the control group. Differences between the intervention and control groups were evaluated using t tests for continuous variables, Wilcoxon rank-sum tests for ordinal variables and chi(2) tests for categorical variables. The intervention group had a 14% increase (P<0.001) in self-efficacy for weight control (Weight Efficacy Life-Style Questionnaire), which was associated with improved diet quality (Healthy Eating Index) (r=0.292, P<0.01), weight loss (r=0.582, P<0.001), increased self-efficacy for quitting smoking (Smoking Self-Efficacy Questionnaire) (r=0.291, P<0.014), a decrease in number of cigarettes smoked (r=0.331, P<0.005), and positive movement in stage of change toward smoking cessation (r=0.435, P<0.001). These findings suggest that for this group of weight-concerned smokers' success in changing eating behavior may trigger a positive change in smoking behavior.

Motivation, self-efficacy, physical activity and nutrition in college students: randomized controlled trial of an internet-based education program.

OBJECTIVE: MyStudentBody.com-Nutrition (MSB-N) is an internet-based nutrition and physical activity education program for college students. METHOD: Students from six universities (N=476) in the U.S. were randomly assigned in the fall of 2005 to one of three groups: MSB-N (Experimental I), MSB-N plus Booster (Experimental II), or an attention placebo control group. RESULTS: Experimental I and II group participants increased their fruit and vegetable intake by .33 and .24 servings, respectively, relative to the control group at post-test. Both experimental groups improved their motivation to change eating behaviors (p<.05) and were also more likely to increase their social support and self-efficacy for dietary change (p's<.05). Experimental groups also improved their attitude toward exercise (p<.05), but no behavioral changes in physical activity were noted. CONCLUSION: MyStudentBody.com-Nutrition is an effective internet-based program that may have wide applicability on college campuses for nutrition education and promoting change in health behaviors.

The method of delivery of nutrition and physical activity information may play a role in eliciting behavior changes in adolescents.

OBJECTIVES: Motivating adolescents to adopt proper nutrition and physical activity behaviors is important in this nation's fight to prevent obesity and chronic diseases. This study was conducted to determine which health education delivery method would elicit a greater behavior change. METHOD: The intervention was conducted in three schools (control, computer-based, and traditional education). RESULTS: Students who received the computer-based intervention showed increased knowledge (p<0.001), physical activity (p=0.001), self-efficacy (p<0.001), and social support (p<0.001), and decreased meals skipped (p<0.001). CONCLUSION: The computer-based group showed more positive behavior changes. However, future programs may be enhanced by including group discussion and individual feedback.

Improving the dietary patterns of adolescents using a computer-based approach.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently reported that 16-33% of children and adolescents in the United States are overweight or obese, making this the number one nutritional disease of this group. The prevalence appears to be increasing annually, as are the associated consequences. Moreover, the CDC estimates that less than 50% of adolescents are physically active on a regular basis. In order to improve the health of these individuals, an intervention must be focused to modify these behaviors. Facilitating the understanding of proper nutrition and need for physical activity among adolescents will likely prevent health problems such as overweight and obesity and the development of chronic diseases later in life. Despite these concerns, adolescents remain one of the most underserved populations in terms of preventive services. In the past, health education interventions have shown increases in knowledge; however, the ultimate goal of these programs is to positively impact behavior. To accomplish this, we must focus on the learning styles of "today's" adolescents. Computer-based interventions allow for individualized strategies to promote healthy lifestyles. A computer-based intervention program has the potential to elicit a greater behavior change in comparison to a traditional didactic intervention program.

Web-based nutrition education for college students: Is it feasible?

College students have poor nutrition habits and often exhibit at-risk weight control behaviors; yet, health promotion efforts on campuses often target other risk behaviors such as alcohol and tobacco use. The goal of this study was to determine program content and examine the feasibility of a web-based nutrition education program for college students using innovative applications of tailoring, targeting and personalization of information. Comprehensive program planning entailed three phases: focus groups and use of concept mapping methodology, prototype web program development, and feasibility testing of the prototype. Results of concept mapping suggested that students and experts agreed on the relative importance of the major content areas unique to the college audience. A prototype web program, informed by health promotion theories, was developed and evaluated. Students and college health professionals participated in the feasibility evaluation, which included acceptance and usability testing of the prototype. Mean scores were computed for the acceptance ratings that indicated that the prototype web program was not only feasible, but also compelling and relevant for the college audience. In conclusion, a tailored, web-based interactive nutrition program could potentially be used to provide individualized nutrition information to encourage college students to adopt healthy eating behaviors.