title: Adapting an effective lifestyle intervention towards individuals with low socioeconomic status of different ethnic origins: the design of the MetSLIM study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  People with low socioeconomic status (SES) and some ethnic minorities are often underrepresented in lifestyle programmes. Therefore, a lifestyle programme was developed especially targeting these groups. Developing this lifestyle programme and designing an intervention study to test the effectiveness of this programme was an informative process in which several obstacles were encountered and choices had to be made. Study protocols, however, rarely describe these obstacles encountered in the protocol design process, and it is not always clear why researchers made certain choices. Therefore, the aim of this article is to describe both the final MetSLIM study protocol and the considerations and choices made in designing this study protocol.
  
  
  METHODS
  The developed MetSLIM study has a quasi-experimental design, targeting 30- to 70-year-old adults with an elevated waist circumference, living in deprived neighbourhoods, of Dutch, Turkish or Moroccan descent. The intervention group participates in a 12-month lifestyle programme consisting of individual dietary advice, four group sessions and weekly sports lessons. The control group receives written information about a healthy lifestyle and one group session provided by a dietician. The study contains an elaborate effect, process and economic evaluation. Outcome measures are, among other things, change in waist circumference and the other components of the metabolic syndrome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Matching the preferences of the target group, such as their preferred setting, has implications for the entire study protocol. The process evaluation of the MetSLIM study will provide insight into the consequences of the choices made in the MetSLIM study protocol in terms of reach, acceptability and delivery of the programme, and the effect and economic evaluation will provide insight into the (cost)effectiveness of the lifestyle programme in order to reduce waist circumference among individuals with low SES of different ethnic origins.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Netherlands Trial Register NTR3721 (since November 27, 2012).
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, P.O Box 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. d.teuscher@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: Dorit
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Teuscher
authors.affiliation: Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, P.O Box 8129, 6700, EV, Wageningen, The Netherlands. sandra.bukman@wur.nl.
authors.forename: Andrea J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Bukman
authors.affiliation: Department of Health, Ethics and Society, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, CAPHRI, P.O Box 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. a.meershoek@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: Agnes
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Meershoek
authors.affiliation: Division of Strategic Communication, Wageningen University, P.O Box 8130, 6700, EW, Wageningen, The Netherlands. reintjan.renes@hu.nl.
authors.forename: Reint Jan
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Renes
authors.affiliation: Division of Human Nutrition, Wageningen University, P.O Box 8129, 6700, EV, Wageningen, The Netherlands. edith.feskens@wur.nl.
authors.forename: Edith J M
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Feskens
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Biology, Maastricht University Medical Centre+, NUTRIM School for Nutrition, Toxicology and Metabolism, P.O Box 616, 6200, MD, Maastricht, The Netherlands. m.vanbaak@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: Marleen A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: van Baak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001837:Body Weights and Measures; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D004032:Diet; D005006:Ethnicity; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style / Q000208:ethnology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D057240:Patient Preference; D011788:Quality of Life; D012107:Research Design; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose