Diet and Exercise for Underserved Women

Behavioral/Support Intervention for Diet and Exercise Among Underserved Women

The purpose is to determine if a culturally tailored diet and exercise intervention of 16 weekly sessions with 8 weeks of followup phone support is effective in reducing waist circumference, weight, and related diet and exercise behaviors among women from underserved communities.

Overweight and obesity disproportionately impact economically disadvantaged and minority women. Overweight and obese women ages 25 to 50 are recruited from Census tracts with 25% or more residents living below poverty-level income. A skills-based intervention was designed with input from women in these communities gathered via focus groups and from a community advisory board. The intervention activities and strategies take into consideration the social and economic challenges of women with limited income, competing demands on their time and cultural beliefs about food preferences and body image.

Inclusion Criteria:

• 25-50 years of age
• live in Census tracts with 25% or more below poverty in Columbia, SC
• waist circumference >88 cm

Exclusion Criteria:

• insulin-dependent
• pregnant
• moderate exercise contraindicated
• not in control of food choices [institutional setting or restricted diet]
• uncontrolled hypertension
• weight >430 pounds