Projects per year
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Obesity is a major public health concern and women living in rural settings present a high-risk group. With contributing factors poorly explored, we evaluated their association with weight in rural Australian women.
METHODS: Women aged 18-50 years of any body mass index (BMI) were recruited between October 2012 and April 2013 as part of a larger, randomised controlled trial within 42 rural towns. Measured weight and height as well as self-reported measures of individual health, physical activity, dietary intake, self-management, social support and environmental perception were collected. Statistical analysis included linear regression for continuous variables as well as chi-squared and logistic regression for categorical variables with all results adjusted for clustering.
RESULTS: 649 women with a mean baseline age and BMI of 39.6±6.7 years and 28.8±6.9 kg/m2 respectively, were studied. Overall, 65% were overweight or obese and 60% overall reported recent weight gain. There was a high intention to self-manage weight, with 68% attempting to lose weight recently, compared to 20% of women reporting health professional engagement for weight management. Obese women reported increased weight gain, energy intake, sitting time and prevalence of pre-existing health conditions. There was an inverse relationship between increased weight and scores for self-management, social support and health environment perception.
CONCLUSIONS: Many women in rural communities reported recent weight gain and were attempting to self-manage their weight with little external support. Implications for Public Health: Initiatives to prevent weight gain require a multifaceted approach, with self-management strategies and social support in tandem with building a positive local environmental perception.
METHODS: Women aged 18-50 years of any body mass index (BMI) were recruited between October 2012 and April 2013 as part of a larger, randomised controlled trial within 42 rural towns. Measured weight and height as well as self-reported measures of individual health, physical activity, dietary intake, self-management, social support and environmental perception were collected. Statistical analysis included linear regression for continuous variables as well as chi-squared and logistic regression for categorical variables with all results adjusted for clustering.
RESULTS: 649 women with a mean baseline age and BMI of 39.6±6.7 years and 28.8±6.9 kg/m2 respectively, were studied. Overall, 65% were overweight or obese and 60% overall reported recent weight gain. There was a high intention to self-manage weight, with 68% attempting to lose weight recently, compared to 20% of women reporting health professional engagement for weight management. Obese women reported increased weight gain, energy intake, sitting time and prevalence of pre-existing health conditions. There was an inverse relationship between increased weight and scores for self-management, social support and health environment perception.
CONCLUSIONS: Many women in rural communities reported recent weight gain and were attempting to self-manage their weight with little external support. Implications for Public Health: Initiatives to prevent weight gain require a multifaceted approach, with self-management strategies and social support in tandem with building a positive local environmental perception.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 158-164 |
Number of pages | 7 |
Journal | Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health |
Volume | 41 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Apr 2017 |
Keywords
- Environment
- Health behaviours
- Rural
- Social support
- Weight
- Women
Projects
- 3 Finished
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Preventing weight gain in women
Harrison, C. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
National Heart Foundation of Australia
1/01/14 → 14/08/17
Project: Research
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NHMRC Practitioner Fellowship
Teede, H. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
NHMRC - National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia)
1/01/13 → 31/12/17
Project: Research
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Rural Help Her [NHMRC Public Health Postgraduate Research Scholarship - Samantha Kozica
Kozica-Olenski, S. (Primary Chief Investigator (PCI))
NHMRC - National Health and Medical Research Council (Australia)
1/01/12 → 31/12/14
Project: Research