Rethinking traditional weight management programs: a 3-year follow-up evaluation of a new approach.

We evaluated the effectiveness of a nondiet approach designed to reduce restrained eating behaviors and improve self-acceptance and self-esteem. This approach also encourages participants to address eating and exercise behavior separately. Subjects were Conoco employees who participated in the Wellness Department's Eat For L.I.F.E. (Long-term change; Image of self; Fun; Enjoyment of eating) program and completed pre-participation and 3-year follow-up questionnaires (N = 79). Pre- and postsurvey data were used to assess participants eating behavior, dieting behavior, self-acceptance, self-esteem, level of physical activity, and demographic information. Mastery of the internally directed eating style was assessed during the program at 3 months, at the conclusion of the 6-month program, and at the 3-year follow-up. Analysis of variance indicated that Eat For L.I.F.E. participants were able to significantly decrease their restrained eating behavior and increase self-acceptance, self-esteem, and level of physical activity. Participants also were able to adopt many aspects of the nonrestrained, internally directed eating style and decrease their frequency of weighing-in behavior. These results indicate that strategies fostering internally directed eating behaviors may be more centrally related to an individual's well-being than programs supporting externally directed eating behaviors.

Early and continued participation in a work-site health and fitness program.

This study examines social-environmental, physical-behavioral, and psychological factors influencing early and continued participation in physical activity. Data for the study were collected during the first six months of operation of a work-site Health and Fitness Center. The following sources were used to collect data (N = 403): 1) printouts of frequency of employee visits to the Health and Fitness Center; 2) a questionnaire; and 3) fitness files. Data measuring early (month one) and continued (month six) participation were obtained from printouts of frequency of employee visits. A questionnaire measured estimation of physical ability, attraction to physical activity, youth participation, social support, and convenience of the Health and Fitness Center. Fitness files were used to obtain measures of cardiovascular fitness, percent body fat, and recent participation. Linear discriminant analysis was conducted to determine the practical usefulness of the social-environmental, physical-behavioral, and psychological factors for classifying employees into categories of exercise adherers and nonadherers. A measure of exercise adherence was based on company policy of six visits each month. Results for early participation (month one) indicated that convenience, sex, youth participation, attitudinal commitment, and age discriminated (p less than .05) among adherers and nonadherers with 63% accuracy. At the end of six months, attitudinal commitment, sex, convenience, and estimation of physical ability discriminated (p less than .05) among adherers and non-adherers with 60% accuracy. In addition, when early participation in the health and fitness program served as the measure of recent participation for the six month analysis, recent participation and attitudinal commitment discriminated (p less than .05) between the two adherence categories with 75% accuracy. Adherers and nonadherers were classified with 66% and 85% accuracy, respectively.