Culturally-sensitive weight loss program produces significant reduction inweight, blood pressure, and cholesterol in eight weeks

Dietary and behavioral needs of special populations are rarely considered i n traditional weight loss programs. This study assessed the impact of cultu rally-sensitive modifications to the Duke University Rice Diet weight loss program for African-American dieters. The study was a randomized modifed cross-over study in which volunteers rec eived either early or delayed weight loss intervention. Final outcomes were measured at 8 weeks. At the onset of the study, there were 56 African Amer ican participants, however, only 44 (79%) completed the study. The eight-we ek intervention was a modified 1000-calorie/day version of the Rice Diet. M odifications to the program included decreased cost, culturally-sensitive r ecipes, addressing attitudes about exercise, and including family members i n weight loss efforts. Average weight loss for subjects completing the prog ram was 14.8 pounds (SD = 6.8 pounds). BMI decreased from 37.8 kg/m(2) to 3 5.3 kg/m(2) (p < 0.01). Total cholesterol levels decreased from 199.2 mg/dL to 185.4 mg/dL (p < 0.01); systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased by 4.3 mmHg (p < 0.01) and 2.4 mmHg (p < 0.05), respectively. The control group showed no significant change in any outcome measures. We found that d iet programs can be successfully tailored to incorporate the needs of Afric an-Americans. Most importantly, these dietary program changes con lead to s ignificant improvement in clinical parameters. Additional studies are neces sary to determine the permanence of these short-term changes.