Effectiveness of the Life Enhancement and Advancement Program for Weight Management in Overweight and Obese Females

Abstract

Background: Obesity has been shown to have many deleterious physical and psychological consequences. Objective: This study examined the effectiveness of adding the Life Enhancement and Advancement Program (LEAP) to a weight management program. Design: To evaluate the different components of a weight loss program, this study included four groups: (1) dieting, exercise, and LEAP; (2) dieting, exercise, and sham training; (3) dieting and exercise; and (4) exercise only. An assessment was administered at baseline, post-intervention, and a three-month follow-up. Participants: Forty female participants with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 were recruited from a local sports center. They provided informed consent and were randomly assigned to one of the four groups. Measures: Participants’ heights were recorded at baseline, and their weight, waist circumference (WC), and BMI were measured at each of the three assessments. Participants completed the Personal Concerns Inventory (PCI) to assess their adaptive motivation at all three assessments. Results: A MANCOVA indicated that participants who received LEAP along with dieting and exercise had a greater reduction in BMI and WC and improved more in adaptive motivation than the other groups. Conclusions: The results suggest that adding LEAP to a weight management program enhanced participants’ ability to achieve and maintain weight loss. LEAP enabled participants to pursue and achieve their important goals successfully.

Keywords

• exercise
• dieting
• adaptive motivational structure
• personal concerns inventory