THURSDAY, June 1 (HealthDay News) -- A behavioral weight-loss program that addresses physical activity self-efficacy, behavioral strategies and barriers to weight management can be effective in overweight sedentary women, according to a study in the May issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.
John M. Jakicic, Ph.D., from the University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues studied 165 overweight, sedentary women -- with a mean body mass index of 32.7 and a mean age of 37.6 years -- who participated in a behavioral weight-loss program to determine how psychosocial factors related to physical activity. The weight-loss program consisted of behavioral education, moderate caloric restriction and progressive home-based exercise for six months.
The researchers found that the program resulted in significant increases in physical activity self-efficacy, behavioral processes of change, and several cognitive processes of change, as well as a significant decrease in expected barriers for physical activity. Women who lost at least 10 percent of their weight and those reporting higher levels of exercise reported higher levels of physical activity self-efficacy, greater use of behavioral strategies and fewer barriers to physical activity.
"Targeting self-efficacy, behavioral strategies, and barriers in weight-management programs may improve physical activity, which may result in improved weight loss in overweight adults," Jakicic and colleagues conclude.
Abstract
Full Text (subscription or payment may be required)
