PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:
I. To determine the feasibility of conducting a weight maintenance intervention, in terms of recruiting and retaining participants.
II. To obtain preliminary data on the effectiveness of an intervention to prevent weight gain on body composition, self-efficacy, perceived stress, fatigue, depression, exercise capacity, and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Changes in physical activity and dietary intake will also be monitored.
III. To determine if the weight control protocol requires refinement for use in a randomized controlled trial.
IV. To determine how many participants opt to enroll in a short-term healthy lifestyle program at completion of the final testing visit.
OUTLINE:
Participants undergo four 30-60 minute health education sessions and 3 follow-up phone sessions with an interventionist trained in behavioral science, physical activity and nutrition, and positive psychology over 12 months.
EDUCATION SESSION I: Participants receive information from the interventionist concerning healthy diet choices and exercise and begin to keep a food log.
EDUCATION SESSION II: Interventionists review information from session I and patient food logs. Participants receive recommendations for exercise and set activity goals.
EDUCATION SESSION III: Participants receive information on how to determine portion sizes and the importance of strength training and building lean muscle mass.
EDUCATION SESSION IV: Interventionists review information from the previous 3 sessions and discuss the importance of planning and goal setting with participants. The interventionist also discusses physical and mental barriers to exercise.
After completion of the education sessions, patients receive 3 phone calls at times convenient to the patient to answer questions about information learned in previous educational sessions.
After completion of study, participants are followed up for 12 months.
