Seven-Year Follow-up of a Multiple-Health-Behavior Diabetes Intervention (original) (raw)

2010, American Journal of Health Behavior

Objective-To examine the long-term effects of multiple health-behavior changes from the Mediterranean Lifestyle Program. Methods-The randomized trial targeted postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes (N = 279) at high risk for heart disease. The intervention featured a weekend retreat followed by regular meetings over 24 months to enhance healthful eating, physical activity (PA), stress management, and support behaviors. Results-Long-term analyses indicated that significant improvements made in the targeted behaviors during the active treatment phase of the study (at 6, 12, and 24 months) were partially maintained during the non-treatment phase of the study, through 5 years post-intervention contact for dietary behavior and stress management, and 1 year post-treatment for PA. Conclusions-This moderate-intensity group-based intervention produced health behavior changes that tended to plateau or return to baseline levels 1 to 5 years after treatment. Future research should explore innovative methods for sustaining change over the long term. Keywords multiple health behaviors; diabetes; long-term; women; randomized controlled trial Improvements in lifestyle behaviors such as healthful eating and regular exercise are difficult to attain during behavioral interventions, and are even more difficult to maintain after formal intervention activities have ended.1-3 Yet, for individuals with type 2 diabetes, attaining and sustaining a healthful lifestyle over long periods of time are critical for improving risk factors4 and avoiding adverse consequences of illness progression, such as heart disease, blindness, and kidney damage. 5 It is especially important for older adults who have heart disease or CHD risk factors to engage in long-term physical activity (PA) and dietary changes. 6, 7