Obesity and overweight are complex phenomena due to causes and consequences as these are the predisposing factors for developing lifestyle-related diseases. In the recent times, obesity and chronic diseases are being taken very seriously than ever before. Once upon a time, obesity was considered as a problem only in developed countries, now it is of a serious concern in low-and middle-income countries. In Papua New Guinea (PNG), a few studies have been conducted on obesity-related issues. However, there is not enough data on obesity to clearly understand about the leading contributing factors. Our research group designed this study to assess the influencing factors of obesity and as well as to identify the principal cause. It is a descriptive study, used structured and semi-structured interview and survey questionnaire. This study was conducted in the capital city of PNG, Port Moresby, and recruited 87 adults aged 30 -50 years. According to interview and analysis findings, the contributing factors of obesity are less physical movement, unhealthy diet, lifestyle, cultural value system, low education and social system. Government strategies and initiatives are not strong enough to educate and motivate the community people. This study suggests developing an effective coordination among all stakeholders to ensure quality education and increase awareness to prevent obesity and its complications. The standard health policies and strategies are also recommended at the local, national and international level with strong commitment.
This study examined the effects of the Hizen Alcoholism Prevention Program (HAPPY) and the revised version of HAPPY (HAPPY Plus), and also compared the two programs to determine whether the HAPPY Plus achieved better outcomes for heavy drinkers in the workplace. The HAPPY Plus designed to strengthen participants' recruitment, perception of threat, stress management, behavior modification by self-monitoring using a calendar-based diary, and to prevent dropout by telephone and e-mail follow-up by a trained nurse. Participants were men and women who consumed at least 20 g and 10 g of alcohol daily, respectively, and had not been diagnosed with alcohol dependence. A group intervention, 3-month randomized controlled trial was conducted. The control and intervention groups received the HAPPY and HAPPY Plus, respectively. The primary endpoint was average daily alcohol consumption. The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT), weight, body mass index, blood pressure, liver function, goal achievement rate, self-efficacy, and self-esteem were also measured. Out of 88 recruited employees, 83 (intervention group: 40; control group: 43) completed the study (completion rates were 100% and 93.4% respectively). As a result, average daily alcohol consumption decreased significantly in both groups (p < 0.001), but did not differ between groups. Even though behavior change rate was higher, and self-efficacy and confidence increased in the intervention group, AUDIT decreased in both groups but was significant only in the control group. Physiological indicators in the intervention group improved, but were not significant between the groups. Against the program revision, this study did not prove * Corresponding author. K. Harada et al.1602 superiority of HAPPY Plus to the HAPPY regarding the indicators. However, better behavior modification and lower dropout were observed in the HAPPY Plus. Therefore, after further improvement is made, this group intervention program is applied to the workplace.
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