Volume 51 Number 1, 2014
Pages 149 — 160
Abstract — Comparison of Veteran experiences of low-cost, home-based diet and exercise interventions
Bree Holtz, PhD;1 Sarah L. Krein, PhD, RN;1–2 Douglas R. Bentley, MPH;1 Maria E. Hughes, MPT;1 Nicholas D. Giardino, PhD;3 Caroline R. Richardson, MD1,4*
1Center for Clinical Management Research, Department of Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI; Departments of 2Internal Medicine, 3Psychiatry, and 4Family Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
Abstract — Obesity is a significant health problem among Veterans who receive care from the Department of Veterans Affairs, as it is for so many other Americans. Veterans from Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) experience a myriad of chronic conditions, which can make it difficult to maintain a physically active lifestyle. This pilot study tested the feasibility and user satisfaction with three low-cost, home-based diet and exercise programs, as well as point-of-decision prompts among these Veterans. The three programs target mechanisms that have been shown to improve healthy behavior change, including (1) online mediated social support, (2) objective monitoring of physical activity, and (3) structured high-intensity workouts. This was a randomized crossover trial; each participant used two of the three programs, and all used the point-of-decision prompts. Our qualitative results identified five overall themes related to social support, objective monitoring, structured activity, awareness and understanding, and the point-of-decision prompts. In general, participants were satisfied with and lost weight with each of the interventions. This study demonstrated that these low-cost interventions could be successful with the OIF/OEF Veteran population. A larger and longer study is planned to further investigate the effectiveness of these interventions.
Key words: diet, exercise, lifestyle, obesity, objective monitoring, OIF/OEF, physical activity, qualitative, technology, Veterans.
View HTML ¦ View PDF ¦ Contents Vol. 51, No.1
This article and any supplementary material should be cited as follows:
Holtz B, Krein SL, Bentley DR, Hughes ME, Giardino ND, Richardson CR. Comparison of Veteran experiences of low-cost, home-based diet and exercise interventions. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2014;51(1):149–60.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2013.04.0088
Holtz B, Krein SL, Bentley DR, Hughes ME, Giardino ND, Richardson CR. Comparison of Veteran experiences of low-cost, home-based diet and exercise interventions. J Rehabil Res Dev. 2014;51(1):149–60.
http://dx.doi.org/10.1682/JRRD.2013.04.0088
ResearcherID/ORCID: Bree Holtz, PhD: B-9371-2014; Caroline R. Richardson, MD: A-9237-2009
Go to TOP
Last Reviewed or Updated Tuesday, April 8, 2014 12:33 PM
