Investigating the Combined Effects of Diet and Physical Exercise on Reducing Body Weight and Waist Circumference among Mountain-dwelling Taiwanese People: Natural Experiment of Healthy Community Project

Abstract

Background and purpose: Obesity increases morbidity and mortality. Dieting and exercise are the most frequently methods used to decrease body weight. However, the superiority of diet alone, exercise alone, or a combination of the two in reducing body weight is still controversial. We evaluated the role of diet and exercise instruction on decreases in body weight, body mass index (BMI), and waist circumference (WC) among a group of mountain-dwelling Taiwanese. We were particularly interested in how body weight, BMI, WC reduction were associated with diet alone, exercise alone, two activities combined.Method: An intervention study of diet education (2 weeks) and exercise instruction (10 weeks), as part of the healthy community project which served as a natural experiment, was conducted with residents of Fushing Township, northern Taiwan.Results: A total of 50 adults participated in the program. The mean BMI was 26.1 kg/m2 and 68% were overweight (BMI≥24 kg/m^2) at baseline. After the diet education and exercise program, there were significant reductions in body weight (0.8 kg), BMI (0.3 kg/m^2), and WC (1.7 cm). These reductions in body weight (r=-0.42), BMI (r=-0.41), and WC (r=-0.53) were most significantly correlated with total attendance in the diet and exercise activities combined.Conclusion: This natural experiment of healthy community project showed that participants' body weight, BMI, and WC reduction were most correlated with overall frequency of attendance in diet and exercise classes combined.