Effectiveness of the PRECEDE model in obese patients undergoing primary care nurses follow-up

Abstract

Obesity is a serious problem in western modern countries. Primary care nurses has to follow up these patients but often with poor results. The PRECEDE model (Green L.W) try to help patients to identify factors that predispose, make easier or reinforce their relationship with food and physical exercise. Objectives: To evaluate if PRECEDE makes easier the adherence of obese patients to a new style of feeding and exercise that reduces their BMI. Metodology: Experimental design, community randomised study. We analysed two samples of two different interventions: in one we applied the PRECEDE, in the other one the conventional advice about diet and exercise. Measures at 12 and 18 months. Both samples were homogeneous. The relationship between qualitative data has been studied through the Pearson x2 test and the comparison of quantitative data between two groups through the Student T test for independent samples. Results: a) The PRECEDE intervention group lost more weigh than control at 12ª month, but this difference is almost null at 18º month. b) The BMI difference has low clinical value because in both cases the final BMI is >30. Conclusions: a) PRECEDE model shows a major capacity to reduce the BMI than the conventional model at short time. b) To conclude that the PRECEDE weigh reduction is clinically effective we should have to extend our educational intervention longer time.

Keywords

• Health education
• obesity
• PRECEDE model
• primary care nurse
• behavior learning