INTERVENTION TO INCREASE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MODIFY DIET: COMPARISON OF OVERWEIGHT AND NORMAL WEIGHT MEN.

Abstract

260 Adherence rates and behavioral changes were compared in overweight men (OW) and normal weight men (NW) enrolled in a program focusing on increasing physical activity and reducing fat intake. Sixty-two men (age range: 25-40 years; BMI range: 22-30 kg/m2) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions: 1) no treatment control (n=18), 2) supervised clinic group (n=24), or 3) correspondence group (n=20). The exercise goal for the treatment groups was to walk/jog 4 days/week and to progress to a minimum of 12 miles/week by the end of this 16 week intervention. The supervised group met 1 day/week for a combined behavioral lesson and exercise session, whereas the correspondence group received the same behavioral materials via mail and periodic telephone contact. No differences were found between the supervised and correspondence groups, therefore these groups were combined (TMT group). Subjects were divided into groups based on baseline BMI: OW (BMI=27-30 kg/m2) and NW(BMI<27 kg/m2). Comparison of OW and NW subjects in the TMT group showed no significant difference for number of weekly exercise logs completed(11±6 vs. 11±5), miles completed (102±71 vs. 104±91), minutes of exercise (1406±1053 vs. 1332±1105), or percent change in VO2Peak (15.5±18.5% vs. 9.4±14.3%). OW reported lower intake of fat grams per day compared to NW (38±8 vs. 46±17; p=0.06), and weight loss was greater in OW (-2.7±2.9 kg) compared to NW (-1.2±2.3 kg)(p=0.06). Comparison of NW men in the TMT and control groups showed that there was no difference for change in VO2Peak, physical activity (Paffenbarger Questionnaire), or weight. OW in TMT reported greater increases in physical activity compared to OW in control (+1309±1443 kcal/wk vs. -595±1133; p=0.02), and weight loss was greater in OW in TMT (-2.7±2.9 kg) compared to OW in control(+1.5±1.0 kg)(p=0.07). These results indicate that NW and OW show similar improvements in exercise participation, however OW men may be more likely to modify their diet which may lead to greater changes in body weight. These results may have implications for interventions focusing on health behavior change in adult men.