Telephone intervention promoting weight-related health behaviors.
OBJECTIVE
Recent national surveys have documented that the majority of adults in the United States do not meet the recommended levels of healthy lifestyle-related behaviors. The Nutrition and Physical Activity (NuPA) study was designed to promote fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, and weight management for a working population.


METHODS
Data were collected nationwide, USA, from 2005 to 2007 and analyzed in 2008. A total of 2470 employed participants were randomized into the self-help (SH: n=1191) or self-help plus telephone counseling (SH+C: n=1279) group. The SH+C group received nine structured telephone counseling sessions in addition to the print materials.


RESULTS
A series of hierarchical regression analyses for each of the health behavior outcomes in the present-at-follow-up subsample (n=1098-1148) revealed that the SH+C was effective in increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. Among the overweight and obese participants, weight loss was significant in both the SH and SH+C groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Using a theory-based behavioral change counseling technique and targeting multiple health behaviors among employed individuals, our findings demonstrate that the addition of telephone counseling to mailed self-help materials is effective in promoting healthy diet and weight management.
Kim
Youngmee
Y
Behavioral Research Center, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA, USA. ykim@psy.miami.edu
Pike
Joanne
J
Adams
Heather
H
Cross
Di
D
Doyle
Colleen
C
Foreyt
John
J
D001835:Body Weight; D003376:Counseling; D015444:Exercise; D005638:Fruit; D015438:Health Behavior; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone; D014481:United States; D014675:Vegetables