Descriptive Study of Educated African American Women Successful at Weight-Loss Maintenance Through Lifestyle Changes Journal of General Internal Medicine, 05/03/2012

Barnes AS et al. - Influences and practices differ among educated African American women who maintain weight loss compared to those who regain it.

• African American volunteers from the United States ≥ 18 years of age were invited to complete a cross-sectional survey about weight, weight-loss, weight-loss maintenance or regain.
• Participants were invited to submit contact information to be maintained in a secure registry.
• Percentage of participants who achieved long-term weight-loss maintenance reporting various dietary and physical activity strategies, motivations for and social-cognitive influences on weight loss and maintenance, current eating patterns, and self-monitoring practices compared to African Americans who lost weight but regained it.
• Participants also completed the Short International Physical Activity Questionnaire.
• Of 3,414 individuals screened, 1,280 were eligible and completed surveys.

• Ninety-percent were women.
• This descriptive analysis includes 1,110 women who lost weight through non-surgical means.
• Over 90 % of respondents had at least some college education.
• Twenty-eight percent of respondents were weight-loss maintainers.
• Maintainers lost an average of 24 % of their body weight and had maintained ≥ 10 % weight loss for an average of 5.1 years.
• Maintainers were more likely to limit their fat intake, eat breakfast most days of the week, avoid fast food restaurants, engage in moderate to high levels of physical activity, and use a scale to monitor their weight.