title: Program Design for Healthy Weight in Lesbian and Bisexual Women: A Ten-City Prevention Initiative.
abstract: Adult lesbian and bisexual (LB) women are more likely to be obese than adult heterosexual women. To address weight- and fitness-related health disparities among older LB women using culturally appropriate interventions, the Office on Women's Health (OWH) provided funding for the program, Healthy Weight in Lesbian and Bisexual Women (HWLB): Striving for a Healthy Community. This paper provides a description of the interventions that were implemented.
  
  
  
  Five research organizations partnered with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community organizations to implement healthy weight interventions addressing the needs of LB women 40 years and older. The interventions incorporated evidence-based recommendations related to physical activity and nutrition. Each group intervention developed site-specific primary objectives related to the overall goal of improving the health of LB women and included weight and waist circumference reduction as secondary objectives. A 57-item core health survey was administered across the five sites. At a minimum, each program obtained pre- and post-program assessments.
  
  
  
  Each program included the OWH-required common elements of exercise, social support, and education on nutrition and physical activity, but adopted a unique approach to deliver intervention content.
  
  
  
  This is the first time a multisite intervention has been conducted to promote healthy weight in older LB women. Core measurements across the HWLB programs will allow for pooled analyses, and differences in study design will permit analysis of site-specific elements. The documentation and analysis of the effectiveness of these five projects will provide guidance for model programs and future research on LB populations.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. Electronic address: sarah.fogel@vanderbilt.edu.
authors.forename: Sarah C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Fogel
authors.affiliation: Department of Family & Community Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia, Missouri.
authors.forename: Jane A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: McElroy
authors.affiliation: Heilbrunn Department of Population & Family Health, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Samantha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Garbers
authors.affiliation: The CDM Group, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Cheryl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McDonnell
authors.affiliation: Mautner Project of Whitman-Walker, Whitman-Walker Health, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Jacquetta
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Education, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Michele J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Eliason
authors.affiliation: Lyon-Martin Health Services, a Program of HealthRight360, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Natalie
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ingraham
authors.affiliation: The Lewin Group, Falls Church, Virginia.
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Osborn
authors.affiliation: IMPAQ International, LLC, Oakland, California.
authors.forename: Nada
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rayyes
authors.affiliation: NORC the University of Chicago, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Sarah Davis
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Redman
authors.affiliation: Jacobs Institute of Women's Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Susan F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.affiliation: Office on Women's Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Washington, DC.
authors.forename: Suzanne G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Haynes
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001727:Bisexuality; D001835:Body Weight; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D018452:Homosexuality, Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016730:Program Development; D000072339:Sexual and Gender Minorities; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D016387:Women's Health