Donald E Wesson
Texas A&M HSC College of Medicine, USA
Title: Title: Successful weight management in an underserved population through the group lifestyle balance (GLB) program
Biography
Biography: Donald E Wesson
Abstract
Background: Weight management strategies have been comparatively less successful in individuals from low socio-economic status (SES) communities which are medically under-served. We explored the weight management eff ectiveness of Group Life Balance, (GLB) a strategy adapted from University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health and applied at the Diabetes Health Wellness Institute, a population health initiative of Baylor Scott and White Health which operates in a low SES community of Dallas, Texas.
Methods: Th e GLB program emphasizes incorporating small, sustainable changes into the lives of participants to build selfeffi cacy and encourage them to leverage aspects of their current lifestyle toward healthy behaviors. Th e program does not specify a given “diet” but instead emphasizes a daily fat gram budget which participants manage within their current eating patterns. Th e program also emphasizes incorporation into their current lifestyle incremental that increases in physical activity of their choice to a weekly goal of 150 minutes. Tools such as food and activity log assist participants to achieve these goals over 3-month duration.
Results: Th e GLB program participants experienced an average 5.1% weight loss with an attrition rate of only 8%. Program participation was also associated with improved healthy behaviors of the family of participants.
Conclusions: In this low SES population, the GLB program with its emphasis on incremental changes in current lifestyles of participants toward healthy behaviors appears to be an eff ective weight management strategy for them and appears to improve healthy behaviors of their families as a collateral benefit.