Abstract
Ready access, such as home-based access, to resources for nutrition and physical activity (PA) information and equipment may support overweight and obese individuals in achieving healthy weight and increasing levels of PA. Managed care organizations (MCOs) recognize the need to increase levels of PA among overweight members but urgently need data based on health plan enrollees. PURPOSE: The present study was designed to examine the relationship between self-reported access to diet and PA resources in the home and level of PA among overweight members of a large MCO. METHODS: We recruited 1,801 overweight and obese (mean measured BMI = 34.2 ± 6.0 kg/m2) men (n = 508) and women (n = 1,293) as part of a two-year weight management study. All subjects were asked to complete a baseline questionnaire that assessed their PA status (Paffenbarger score), PA self-efficacy (0–5 score), self-reported home-based access to diet and PA information and resources (0–8 score; categorized into tertiles of low, medium, and high access (1.24 ± 0.77, 3.47 ± 0.50, and 5.76 ± 0.85 items in the home, respectively) and demographics including age, gender, ethnicity, smoking status, and chronic diseases. We used multivariate regression analyses to assess whether home-based diet and PA resource access predicts PA status while controlling for age, sex, ethnicity, BMI, smoking, and chronic disease. RESULTS: Analyses examining the tertiles of home-based access to diet and PA resources as a predictor of PA showed that ôhighö access individuals are significantly more physically active (1,233.36 ± 46.25 kcal/wk) compared to ômediumö (947.88 ± 45.25 kcal/wk) and ôlowö (972.44 ± 50.0 kcal/wk) access individuals (p < 0.0002). The ôlowö access group showed significantly less (p < 0.0001) self-efficacy in their perceived ability to exercise during the coming two-year weight management program (3.81 ± 0.03 score) as compared to the ômediumö (3.93 ± 0.03 score) and the ôhighö (4.02 ± 0.04 score) access groups. CONCLUSIONS: Access to home-based diet and PA resources appears related to the level of PA of overweight individuals. Interventions designed to increase PA among the overweight may consider home-based access to resources as a viable strategy. Supported by grant # DL53826 from NIDDK.
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