Friday, January 9, 2009
The telephone and e-mail helps people to improve the diet and lose weight, according to a Dutch study published on Friday, which reveals what could be a simple but effective tool to combat obesity.
Research on 1400 overweight workers suggests that this type of advice on lifestyle are especially good for people who want a personal counseling to deal with weight problems.
"We found a significant weight loss with the telephone had not been observed in other investigations," said Marieke Van Wier, a researcher at the University Medical Center in Amsterdam who worked on the study.
"If it makes some people lose a modest amount of weight, it can have a major impact on public health," added Van Wier.
Obesity, which increases the risk of diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart problems, is a growing problem in more people adopting a sedentary lifestyle.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that about 400 million people worldwide are obese.
Van Wier's team randomly assigned to the volunteers, all overweight, a control group without counseling, he received a telephone counseling and other assistance by e-mail.
The advice included encouragement to keep in shape and stressed the need to comply with a healthy diet. Not focused on any target of weight loss in particular, Van Wier said in a telephone interview.
After six months, people with telephone counseling lost 1.5 kilograms (kg) more than those in the control group, while volunteers advised by email dropped 0.6 kg more than those who remained without advice, the expert added.
The authors, who published their findings is the journal BioMed Central, believe that such advice may encourage more specific targets for people with overweight.
"This is a modest weight loss, but the key is not pushing people to make big changes," concluded Van Wier.
Labels: Health
