Effect of Nutrition Education on Weight Reduction of Obese Girls in Jordan PDF

Keywords

Obesity, overweight, body mass index, nutrition education

Abstract

The objective of this work is to study the effect of two different means of nutrition education on body weight of obese and overweight girls. Forty two Jordanian females aged between 16-22 years were divided into two equal groups: one received nutrition education through a leaflet alone (G1) and the other (G2) received individual counseling in addition to the leaflet. The study lasted for 24 weeks. The first stage lasted for 12 weeks during which weight was taken every two weeks, and the second stage, a follow-up stage, lasted for another 12 weeks during which no contact was made with the subjects. At the end of the first stage of the study, the mean weight loss for G 1 was 1.5 kg, and for G2 was 4.3 kg. Changes in BMI were parallel to changes in body weight. At the end of the follow-up stage, the two groups did not differ significantly in their mean weights. It is concluded from this study that nutrition education based on well planned simplified leaflet could be effective in long term weight control.