Dyadic Approach To Active Living and Eating Healthy: The DATE Study

Dyadic Approach To Active Living and Eating Healthy: a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Dyadic Health Behavior Change Intervention vs. Nutrition Education for Older Adult Obese Couples

The purpose of the DATE study is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability and a preliminary evaluation of the efficacy of a dyadic health behaviour change intervention to improve healthy eating, physical activity, and dyadic coping among older obese couples. This novel intervention will use a dyadic adaptation of common health behaviour change strategies and will promote a dyadic coping approach to health behaviour change that emphasize partners' interdependence and shared responsibility for the creation of a home environment conducive to a healthy lifestyle. For this project 35 obese older adults cohabiting dyads will be randomized to either the couples-based dyadic health behaviour change intervention or a couples-based nutrition counselling control condition.

Inclusion Criteria:

• At least one of the partners is retired
• Partners cohabitating for at least 2 years.
• Obesity: BMI between 30-45 kg/m2

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Currently enrolled in a weight loss program
2. On a special diet
3. Eating disorder
4. Uncontrolled diabetes
5. Stroke
6. Heart problems (heart attack, heart failure, surgery of the heart or of the carotid arteries, pacemaker)
7. Other medical issues or medical treatment that would prevent doing physical activity