Participants' evaluation of a weight-loss program

Objective. The purpose of this study was to evaluate participants' percepti ons of the weight-loss intervention used in a hypertension prevention clini cal trial. Design. A total of 308 overweight and moderately obese subjects participate d in the weight-management intervention. After the 18-month program, 281 pa rticipants completed a questionnaire designed to evaluate their perceptions of the program's effectiveness. Subjects/setting. Adult participants (224 men and 84 women) in the weight-l oss modality of the Trials of Hypertension Prevention Phase I, surveyed in 1991. Statistical analyses performed. chi(2) Analyses were used to test for stati stical significance of group differences. Results. Intervention components that were most useful are presented. Older participants (older than 50 years) were most likely to attend sessions and women were most likely to identify stress and frustration because of disap pointing results. Successful participants were more likely to incorporate e xercise into their daily activities, exercise regularly, and use self-monit oring strategies. Few participants found group exercise tb be useful. Conclusion. These findings suggest that interventionists in weight-loss pro grams need to find flexible and creative ways to maintain contact with part icipants, continue to develop better methods of self-monitoring, obtain the skills needed to recognize frustration and provide timely support, continu e to couple the message of diet and exercise, and emphasize helping partici pants develop their problem-solving skills. This may require training outsi de the traditional field of dietetics.