title: Maintenance of cardiovascular risk factor changes among middle-aged women in a lifestyle intervention trial.
abstract: The Women's Healthy Lifestyle Project is a 5-year randomized clinical testing whether a behavioral intervention aimed at lifestyle changes in diet and physical activity can prevent the rise in weight and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-c) observed during menopause. Cardiovascular risk factor and behavioral data from 489 participants (intervention group n = 236; control group n = 253) who attended baseline, 6-month, and 18-month clinical assessments were analyzed to determine how well initial improvements achieved at 6 months were maintained over the subsequent year of follow-up. Results indicated that the treatment effect persisted at 18 months for weight, body mass index, total cholesterol, LDL-c, systolic blood pressure (SBP), and glucose levels. Intervention participants maintained improvements in physical activity, caloric intake, dietary cholesterol, SBP, and glucose levels between 6 and 18 months, although weight, total cholesterol, and LDL-c began to rise during this period. Eighty percent of intervention participants compared to 45% of controls were at or under baseline weight at 18 months, suggesting that promoting modest weight loss may be an effective approach to preventing weight gain in these women.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Graduate School of Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. LRS@vms.cis.pitt.edu
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Simkin-Silverman
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Wing
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Boraz
authors.forename: E N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Meilahn
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Kuller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008875:Middle Aged; D017697:Premenopause