A randomized controlled trial to increase physical activity and reduce obesity in a  predominantly African American group of women with mobility disabilities and  severe obesity.
OBJECTIVE
This randomized controlled trial tested a tailored, telephone-based physical activity coaching intervention for a predominantly African American group of women with severe obesity and mobility disability.


METHODS
We recruited 92 clinic patients from the University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center referred by their physicians during 2004-2007 and randomized participants to one of three groups--awareness(informational brochure, no coaching), lower support (phone coaching only) and higher support (phone coaching plus monthly exercise support group)--to determine the efficacy of a tailored coaching intervention on key health outcomes, which included body weight and body mass index, blood pressure, cholesterol, physical activity (barriers and self-reported activity), movement and mobility, general health, and social support.


RESULTS
The higher support group had the greatest reduction in Body Mass Index (BMI) (7.4%) compared with a 0.2% and 1.6% increase in BMI for the lower support and awareness groups, respectively (pb.01). Both the higher and lower support groups had a greater increase in physical activity scores (39% and 30%, respectively)compared with a decline of 13% in the awareness group (pb.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Providing phone-based coaching and monthly in-person exercise support group sessions appear to be an effective approach for reducing body weight and increasing physical activity among severely obese, disabled adults residing in difficult social environments.
Rimmer
James H
JH
Center on Health Promotion Research for Persons with Disabilities, Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1640 West Roosevelt Rd., Chicago, IL 60608-6904, USA. jrimmer@uic.edu
Rauworth
Amy
A
Wang
Edward
E
Heckerling
Paul S
PS
Gerber
Ben S
BS
D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D002641:Chicago; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051346:Mobility Limitation; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index