title: Predictors of Weight Loss for African-American Women in the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Understanding predictors of weight loss can assist in developing targeted evidence-based programs to reduce obesity in faith-based settings. The purpose of this study was to examine predictors of weight loss for a sample of African-American women taking part in in a church-based study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants (N = 350) completed physical assessments and comprehensive surveys at baseline and 15 months later. Analyses examined baseline variables and change in variables from baseline to posttest, as predictors of ≥ 5% weight loss at posttest. Demographic, health-related, and behavioral variables were examined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Lower baseline stress predicted greater likelihood of weight loss. Increased leisure-time physical activity (LTPA) from baseline to posttest was predictive of greater weight loss. The odds of ≥ 5% weight loss was 38% lower for every 1-point increase in baseline stress (OR = 0.62, CI = 0.39, 0.98, P = .04) and 6% greater for every 1-hour increase in posttest LTPA (OR = 1.06, CI = 1.0, 1.12, P = .049).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased LTPA appears to be an independent predictor of modest but meaningful reductions in weight among African-American women. African-American women reporting higher levels of stress at baseline may require more intense strategies emphasizing increased LTPA to lose weight.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Exercise Science, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kyryliuk
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baruth
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilcox
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D000368:Aged; D001835:Body Weight; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D007899:Leisure Activities; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D009765:Obesity / Q000208:ethnology / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D016730:Program Development; D012067:Religion; D012944:Social Support; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D015431:Weight Loss; D061217:Weight Reduction Programs; D055815:Young Adult