title: Delivering a behavior-change weight management program to teachers and state employees in North Carolina.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To ascertain the effectiveness of a behavior-change weight management program offered to teachers and state employees in North Carolina (NC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifteen-week weight management program with premeasures and postmeasures.
  
  
  METHODS
  State agencies and public K-12 schools in five NC counties.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 2574 NC state employees enrolled in 141 classes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eat Smart, Move More, Weigh Less (ESMMWL) is a 15-week weight management program delivered by trained instructors. Lessons inform, empower, and motivate participants to live mindfully as they make choices about eating and physical activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, confidence in ability to eat healthy and be physically active, changes in eating, and physical activity behaviors.
  
  
  METHODS
  Descriptive statistics, t-tests, χ(2) tests, and analyses of variance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Data are reported for 1341 participants in ESMMWL who completed the program, submitted an evaluation, and had not participated in the program in the past; 89% were female and mean age was 48.8 years. Average BMI and waist circumference decreased significantly. Confidence in eating healthfully and being physically active increased significantly. The percentage of participants with a BMI < 30 kg/m(2) increased from 40% to 45% and those with a normal blood pressure increased from 23% to 32.5%. Participants reported being more mindful of what and how much they ate (92%), being more mindful of how much daily physical activity they got (88%), and eating fewer calories (87.3%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This project demonstrated the feasibility of implementing a behavior change-based weight management program at the worksite to achieve positive outcomes related to weight, blood pressure, healthy eating, and physical activity behaviors. Programs such as this have the potential to provide health care cost savings.
authors.affiliation: Department of 4H Youth Development and Family and Consumer Sciences, North Carolina Cooperative Extension, NCSU Campus Box 7606, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695-7606, USA. carolyn_dunn@ncsu.edu
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Dunn
authors.forename: Lauren Mackenzie
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Whetstone
authors.forename: Kathryn M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Kolasa
authors.forename: K S U Jay
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Jayaratne
authors.forename: Cathy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thomas
authors.forename: Surabhi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
authors.forename: Casey
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Herget
authors.forename: Anne B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Rogers
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D005178:Faculty; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009657:North Carolina; D013219:State Government; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult