No abstract

The workplace may be an ideal venue for engaging African American women in behavioral interventions for weight reduction. This study examines the effectiveness of a culturally-enhanced EatRight dietary intervention among a group of predominately African American women in a workplace setting. Thirty-nine women volunteered for this cross-over design study, with 27 completing. The control period involved observation of participants for 22 weeks after receiving standard counseling on lifestyle methods to achieve a healthy weight; following the control period, participants crossed over to the 22-week intervention period. The intervention was culturally-enhanced using feedback derived from formative assessment and delivered as 15 group sessions. The primary outcome measure was the difference in weight change between the control and intervention periods; changes in waist circumference and quality of life were secondary outcomes. Most participants were obese with a mean baseline body mass index of 36 kg/m2, weight of 97.9 kg and waist circumference of 111 cm. Weight increased during the control period by 0.7 kg but decreased by 2.6 kg during the intervention (net difference = −3.4 kg, p<0.001), with 30% of participants losing ≥5% of body weight. Compared to the control period, there was a significant decrease in waist circumference (−3.6 cm, p = 0.006) and improvement in weight-related quality of life (5.7, p = 0.03). This pilot study demonstrated the feasibility of a culturally-enhanced behavioral weight loss intervention in a predominately African American workplace setting. The workplace may be conducive for targeting African American women who are disproportionately affected by obesity.