The effectiveness of an education program and nutritional intervention, integrated health and physical activity in postmenopausal women
Abstract
Objectives: The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of a nutritional education and intervention programme, promoting holistic health and physical exercise in postmenopausal women, with special emphasis on women who smoke, in order to test whether greater adherence to the diet and increased physical activity and healthy lifestyles reduce cardiovascular risk in this population group. Material and methods: The study population consisted of 96 women (aged 46-79) living in Granada (southern Spain). At baseline, the sociodemographic characteristics were compiled and a nutritional assessment conducted, in which food consumption was assessed by 48h recall and the Mediterranean diet score (MDS) was calculated. Anthropometric data were also measured. Other data compiled included serum lipid parameters. When the initial results were obtained, a tailored intervention programme concerning nutrition and healthy lifestyle was provided to each participant. After three months, all the above parameters were re-assessed. Results: At the beginning of the study, it was observed that the diet of the study population complied with recommended patterns. However, the nutritional intervention resulted in an improved caloric and lipid profile and decreased obesity. Among the group of smokers, serum lipid parameters also improved, reaching values similar to those of the non-smokers. Conclusions: An appropriate adhesion to the Mediterranean diet score (MDS) was observed in the Andalusian postmenopausal women assessed in this study. For the whole study population, the nutritional intervention improved the quality of diet and reduced the percentage of obesity, while smokers also improved their lipid profile.
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