The prevalence of obesity has increased in the past 20 years. It has become an important public health problem in many countries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an 8-week body-weight-reduction program in 60 subjects who were with 20% over their ideal body weight. This was accomplished by a comparison of biochemical parameters, blood pressure, anthropometry, body weight, and percentage of body fat between pre- and post-weight reduction. For the biochemical assessment, there were significant decreases (p < 0.05) in plasma glucose, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, Uric acid, plasma total cholesterol, and triglyceride decreased, but the changes did not reach statistical significance. Anthropometric measurements including body weight, percentage of body fat, waist circumference, and hip circumference showed significant differences (p <0.05). Body weight was reduced by 4.8 ± 2.5 kg, the percentage of body fat was reduced 3.3% ± 3.6%, while waist and hip circumferences were reduced 9.6 ± 5.5 and 5.4 ± 3.8 cm, respectively. In the subsequent 2 years, some (22/60) of the subjects continued to keep their weight control program (participatory group) but some (18/60) did not (non-participatory group). After a 2-year follow up, there were no significant differences in biochemical parameters between the two groups (participatory and non-participatory group) but the data were still reasonable. Waist circumference, hip circumference, the ratio of waist-to-hip circumference, and systolic blood pressure were showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in participatory group. The percentage of body fat and the body mass index for the participatory group were lower than those of the non-participatory group. Only body weight of the participatory group was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) 2 years later. The rate of weight regain the participatory group was 45%, which was lower than that of the non-participatory group (78%). Therefore, program did help participants prevent gaining back weightff previously lost.
The prevalence of obesity has increased in the past 20 years. It has become an important public health problem in many countries. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of an 8-week body-weight-reduction program in 60 subjects who were with 20% over their ideal body weight. This was accomplished by a comparison of biochemical parameters, blood pressure, anthropometry, body weight, and percentage of body fat between pre- and post-weight reduction. For the biochemical assessment, there were significant decreases (p < 0.05) in plasma glucose, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure, Uric acid, plasma total cholesterol, and triglyceride decreased, but the changes did not reach statistical significance. Anthropometric measurements including body weight, percentage of body fat, waist circumference, and hip circumference showed significant differences (p <0.05). Body weight was reduced by 4.8 ± 2.5 kg, the percentage of body fat was reduced 3.3% ± 3.6%, while waist and hip circumferences were reduced 9.6 ± 5.5 and 5.4 ± 3.8 cm, respectively. In the subsequent 2 years, some (22/60) of the subjects continued to keep their weight control program (participatory group) but some (18/60) did not (non-participatory group). After a 2-year follow up, there were no significant differences in biochemical parameters between the two groups (participatory and non-participatory group) but the data were still reasonable. Waist circumference, hip circumference, the ratio of waist-to-hip circumference, and systolic blood pressure were showed significant differences (p < 0.05) in participatory group. The percentage of body fat and the body mass index for the participatory group were lower than those of the non-participatory group. Only body weight of the participatory group was significantly reduced (p < 0.05) 2 years later. The rate of weight regain the participatory group was 45%, which was lower than that of the non-participatory group (78%). Therefore, program did help participants prevent gaining back weightff previously lost.