Abstract
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 |
|---|---|
| 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
Cite this
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Individual, social and environmental factors and their association with weight in rural-dwelling women. / Harrison, Cheryce L.; Teede, Helena J.; Kozica, Samantha; Zoungas, Sophia; Lombard, Catherine B.
In: Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health, Vol. 41, No. 2, 04.2017, p. 158-164.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer-review
TY - JOUR
T1 - Individual, social and environmental factors and their association with weight in rural-dwelling women
AU - Harrison, Cheryce L.
AU - Teede, Helena J.
AU - Kozica, Samantha
AU - Zoungas, Sophia
AU - Lombard, Catherine B.
PY - 2017/4
Y1 - 2017/4
N2 - 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.
AB - 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.
KW - Environment
KW - Health behaviours
KW - Rural
KW - Social support
KW - Weight
KW - Women
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85003967259&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/1753-6405.12606
DO - 10.1111/1753-6405.12606
M3 - Article
C2 - 27868304
AN - SCOPUS:85003967259
VL - 41
SP - 158
EP - 164
JO - Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
JF - Australian and New Zealand Journal of Public Health
SN - 1753-6405
IS - 2
ER -