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New research conducted in Australia and published by the British Medical Journal online in July 2010, could hold the key to preventing excess weight gain and obesity in women and their families.
Despite years of research and the billions of dollars spent each year on weight loss treatments, people in western countries such as Australia, are only getting fatter. Accordingly, the World Health Organization (WHO) now recommends that weight management initiatives include efforts to try to prevent adults from gaining excess weight.
New research led Dr Catherine Lombard with Professor Helena Teede from the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health in collaboration with Monash University in Melbourne, has found that excess weight gain can be prevented with a community based program which delivers simple health messages and encourages small changes to behaviour.
The study investigated whether women who attended the Healthy Lifestyle Program (HeLP-her) gained more or less weight, than women who attended a single thirty minute group lecture about the benefits of following population dietary and physical activity guidelines. Two hundred and fifty women aged between 25 and 49 years of age took part in the research, which included those within the healthy weight range as well as overweight and obese women.
Those who participated in HeLP-her were not given a diet to follow or an exercise plan. The women attended just four interactive sessions at the local primary school where they discussed how to change their behaviour. They also received monthly SMS text messages encouraging them to stay active, eat well and follow a healthy lifestyle throughout the twelve months of the research project.
The results of the study confirmed other research which shows that younger women are gaining weight at a faster rate than older women.
Women in the control group gained an average of 830 grams during the 12-month study and those under 40 and within a healthy weight range gained the most weight (1.72kg). In contrast women under 40 in the HeLP-her intervention group lost around 0.27kg over the same period.
The authors, who presented additional study findings at the XI International Congress on Obesity (ICO) in Stockholm last month, said that women are an important group to target in preventing weight gain because of their lifestyle changes after they have children, which can have an impact on the entire family.
Speaking from the ICO in Stockholm, Dr Catherine Lombard told Australian Women Online, “Women with younger children report more barriers to being active and they find it difficult to exercise. Their diet also tends to change having children in the house and over a number of years, that tiny weight gain each year becomes a significant problem in middle age.”
“There have been no other studies that have shown that we are actually able to prevent weight gain. All of the other studies tend to be around obesity and treatment which is very intensive and very costly, and not terribly successful anyway. So by focusing on prevention in young women, we think we can really make a difference.”
Jean Hailes Director of Research and Monash University Chair of Women’s Health, Professor Helena Teede, said, “While not a huge amount of weight, the key issue is that this simple program stopped women putting on weight. We need to acknowledge the struggle this is for many women and their families on a daily basis. We know women are trying hard to lose weight, or to maintain a steady weight, but whatever they are currently doing isn’t working. Our research found that you can’t just give women a few brochures about diet and exercise and expect them to do it themselves.”
This research shows that teaching women the skills to recognise barriers to healthy lifestyles and then supporting them to change behaviour, are important strategies to help prevent women gaining excess weight. The connections women have with each other in their local community through schools, kindergartens and social groups, are also important in supporting these new healthy behaviours.
“The message we need to get out there to women is that they need to start thinking about these things when they’re young and still in the healthy weight range. You can’t allow it to get out of control and then think you’re going to lose the weight with a diet,” said Dr Catherine Lombard.
“The message for governments and the community is that women need more support. Women actually need some type of ongoing support and encouragement to be successful in preventing weight gain. We would really like to see the community pick this intervention up and run it within their own communities, whether that’s through schools, church groups, social groups or the workplace.”
Women interested in learning more about healthy eating and physical activity developed by leading Australian women’s health and education experts, can request a healthy lifestyle information pack from the Jean Hailes Foundation for Women’s Health at www.jeanhailes.org.au