A year of choice and enjoyment raised exercise and weight loss in women

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   239 women aged 25 to 50 joined, with an average age of about 38. All were overweight or had obesity. They joined a university programme in Lisbon, Portugal.

2. 02

   What they did

   One group had 30 sessions over a year, about two hours each, weekly or bi-monthly. The sessions helped women choose activities they enjoyed, set goals, and get feedback. The other group had 29 health classes over the same year, on topics such as nutrition and stress.

3. 03

   What happened

   After a year, the programme group did about 138 more minutes of moderate or hard exercise a week. They also took about 2,049 more steps a day and lost about 6% more weight than the other group. Some pressure-based reasons did not differ, and about 13 in 100 dropped out.

What the study found

1. HelpedGoals

   A year of choice, enjoyment and goals led women to exercise 138 minutes more a week than a health course.

   • Action: Set a specific goaltested
   • Action: Track your progresstested
   • Rule: Choose it yourselftested
   • Rule: Make it enjoyabletested
   • Rule: Get feedback on your progresstested

   Randomised trial of 239 women aged 25 to 50 who were overweight · vs women who took a health course · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ only counted people who finished; numbers unreliable

2. HelpedOther outcomes

   Over a year, women who got the programme lost about 6% more weight than women who took a health course.

   • Action: Set a specific goaltested
   • Rule: Choose it yourselftested
   • Rule: Get feedback on your progresstested

   Randomised trial of 239 women aged 25 to 50 who were overweight · vs women who took a health course · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ only counted people who finished; numbers unreliable

3. HelpedMotivation

   Women in the programme gave more reasons for exercise that were their own, like fun and challenge.

   • Rule: Choose it yourselftested
   • Rule: Make it enjoyabletested

   Randomised trial of 239 women aged 25 to 50 who were overweight · vs women who took a health course · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ only counted people who finished; numbers unreliable

4. No differenceMotivation

   Reasons to stay in the programme because of pressure did not differ between the groups.

   • Rule: Choose it yourselfused
   • Rule: Make it enjoyableused

   Randomised trial of 239 women aged 25 to 50 who were overweight · vs women who took a health course · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ only counted people who finished; numbers unreliable

Source