Those tired of reports talking about lifestyle changes may soon realize that the solution apparently lies in them. Yet another trial conducted by a team from the University of Washington in St. Louis has revealed that obesity and blood pressure could be combated by simple lifestyle modifications.
About 365 obese individuals who were undergoing treatment for high blood pressure participated in the study. They were divided into 2 groups, with one of them receiving usual care and the second set being exposed to behavioral therapies.
Epidemiologist Graham A. Colditz, MD, DrPH, the Niess-Gain Professor of Surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and associate director of prevention and control at the Siteman Cancer Center,cited “We undertook this study in federally qualified health centers, requiring minimal primary care time, so that we might develop a strategy that could be easily implemented through the broad range of health centers that receive support from the federal government.”
The latter group experienced counseling by means of long-term goals and self-monitoring on the web or phone systems. As compared to the standard form of care, patients receiving lifestyle interventions seemingly encountered less increase in body mass and blood pressure. Though the weight loss attained appeared to be modest till 6 months, the subjects did not face further weight gain in the 2-year study period.
This study was carried out among individuals coming from a lower socio-economic group but the results could be applicable in normal health care settings too. The study is published in the journal, Archives of Internal Medicine.