Lucie Lévesque

Trial of Prevention and Reduction of Obesity Through Active Living in Clinical Settings: A Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND The efficacy of physical activity with a healthful diet to reduce obesity is established; however, little is known about the translation of effective lifestyle strategies for obesity reduction in primary care settings. METHODS We assessed the effectiveness of a 2-year behaviorally based physical activity and diet program implemented entirely within clinical practices to reduce obesity. A total of 490 sedentary, obese adults were randomized to usual care (n = 241) or to the behavioral intervention (n = 249). The usual care group received advice from their physicians about lifestyle as a strategy for obesity reduction. The behavioral intervention included individual counseling from health educators to promote physical activity with a healthful diet. The primary outcome was change in waist circumference (WC). RESULTS A total of 396 participants completed the trial (80.8%). A significant main effect was observed for WC change within the intervention compared with usual care (P < .001) that was sustained at 24 months (mean [SE], -0.9 [0.4] vs 0.2 [0.4] cm; P = .05). Secondary analyses revealed significant main effects for change in WC in men (P = .009) and women (P = .02). In men, the mean (SE) reduction in WC at 24 months was greater with behavioral intervention compared with usual care (-1.6 [0.6] vs 0.1 [0.6] cm; P = .049). In women, the behavioral intervention was associated with differences in WC compared with usual care at 6 and 12 months (P ≤ .01) but not at 24 months (P = .10). CONCLUSIONS Behavioral intervention in clinical settings is associated with modest reductions in WC during a 2-year study in obese patients. However, the effectiveness of the intervention is restricted to men. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00665158.

Unpacking the black box: a deconstruction of the programming approach and physical activity interventions implemented in the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project.

An ecological lens was used to deconstruct the programming approach and unpack physical activity interventions implemented through the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project. Despite a surge of interest in ecologically based health promotion programming, optimal combinations of interventions and programming approaches to promote community physical activity involvement have not been systematically studied. The authors obtained physical activity intervention descriptions through archive retrieval and face-to-face interviews with intervention staff. Programming approach, intervention targets, strategies for change, and delivery settings were assessed by applying the intervention analysis procedure to intervention descriptions. A complex intervention package was found containing a host of multitarget, multisetting intervention strategies designed and implemented through dynamic exchanges between a diversity of community partners. This study provides a first step toward better understanding community intervention packages and programming strategies for promoting physical activity involvement within a community setting.

Perceived community environment and physical activity involvement in a northern-rural Aboriginal community

BackgroundType 2 diabetes disproportionately affects Aboriginal peoples in Canada. Ample evidence shows that regular physical activity (PA) plays an important role in the prevention and treatment of type 2 diabetes. Evidence is beginning to emerge linking PA to the physical environment but little is known about the relationship between remote rural environments and PA involvement in Aboriginal peoples. This studys purpose was to investigate the relationship between perceptions of the environment and PA and walking patterns in Aboriginal adults in order to inform the planning and implementation of community-relevant PA interventions.MethodsTwo hundred and sixty three residents (133 women, mean age = 35.6 years, SD = 12.3 and 130 men, mean age = 37.2 years, SD = 13.1) from Moose Factory, Ontario were asked about environmental factors related to walking and PA involvement. Survey items were drawn from standardized, validated questionnaires. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, percentages) were calculated. A series of hierarchical multiple regressions were performed to determine associations between walking and overall PA with perceived environmental variables.ResultsHierarchical multiple regression to predict walking revealed significant associations between walking and perceived safety and aesthetics. Owning home exercise equipment predicted strenuous PA. Different aspects of the physical environment appear to influence different types of physical activities. The significant amount of variance in behaviour accounted for by perceived environmental variables (5.3% walking) included safety, aesthetics, convenience, owning home exercise equipment and comfortable shoes for walking.ConclusionResults suggest that a supportive physical environment is important for PA involvement and that walking and activities of different intensity appear to be mediated by different perceived environmental variables. Implications for PA promotion in rural environments where Aboriginal people face many unique environmental features (e.g., bears, mosquitoes, extreme cold) are discussed.

Prevention and Reduction of Obesity through Active Living (PROACTIVE): rationale, design and methods

The Prevention and Reduction of Obesity through Active Living (PROACTIVE) is a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of a behaviourally based physical activity and diet composition programme to prevent and reduce obesity and related comorbidities in a primary healthcare setting. 491 abdominally obese men and women 25–75 years of age who were patients of primary care physicians were randomly assigned to either a usual care group (N  =  242) or a behavioural intervention group (N  =  249). Those in usual care received general advice from the physician regarding the merits of physical activity and a healthy diet as a strategy for obesity reduction. Those in the behavioural intervention group received an individually designed counselling programme from a specially trained health educator, with respect to physical activity, diet and obesity reduction. The study was designed to provide 95% power in both men and women to detect a 2% (2 cm) difference in waist circumference and 80% power to identify a 15% reduction in the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome, the two primary outcomes. PROACTIVE is the first behavioural intervention study to assess the effects of physical activity and diet on abdominal obesity and associated metabolic risk factors in a primary healthcare setting, include a generalised sample of men and women and examine long-term (24 months) effects. PROACTIVE has the potential to provide the basis for changing clinical practice (primary care) with respect to the prevention and reduction of obesity and related health risks. The purpose of this report is to present and discuss the rationale, design and methods of PROACTIVE.

Community capacity as an "inside job": evolution of perceived ownership within a university-aboriginal community partnership.

Purpose. To assess the evolution of perceived ownership of a university-Aboriginal community partnership across three project stages. Design. Survey administration to project partners during project formalization (1996—T1), mobilization (1999—T2), and maintenance (2004—T3). Setting. Aboriginal community of Kahnawake, outside Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Participants. Partners involved in influencing decision making in the Kahnawake Schools Diabetes Prevention Project (KSDPP). Measure and Analysis. A measure of perceived primary ownership subjected to linear trend analysis. Results. KSDPP staff were perceived as primary owner at T1 and shared ownership with Community Advisory Board (CAB) members at T2 and T3. Trend tests indicated greater perceived ownership between T1 and T3 for CAB (χ21 = 12.3, p < .0001) and declining KSDPP staff (χ21 = 10.5, p < .001) ownership over time. Academic partners were never perceived as primary owners. Conclusion. This project was community driven from the beginning. It was not dependent on an external academic change agent to activate the community and develop the communitys capacity to plan and implement a solution. It still took several years for the grassroots CAB to take responsibility from KSDPP staff, thus indicating the need for sustained funding to build grassroots community capacity.

The ecological approach in tobacco-control practice: health promotion practitioner characteristics related to using the ecological approach.

Purpose. To identify cognitive factors and personal characteristics related to the integration of the ecological approach in the everyday practice of health promotion practitioners. Design. Sociodemographic, cognitive, and behavior data were collected using a cross-sectional mail survey. Setting. Information was collected from regional public health organizations (n = 129) in the 10 Canadian provinces. Subjects. Health promotion practitioners involved in tobacco-control programming for youth (n = 524) comprised of 81% women with a mean age of 39 years. Measures. Attempts to integrate ecological strategies (i.e., interpersonal, organizational, and policy change) into tobacco-control practice were based on three self-report items. Six scales assessed knowledge, values, and normative beliefs about the ecological approach as well as perceived need for, effectiveness of, and competency regarding using the ecological approach. Results. The survey response rate was 80%. Stepwise discriminant analyses revealed four predictors (p < .001) contributing to the function solution concerning practitioner attempts to target the interpersonal environment: perceived competency, training discipline, years doing health promotion, and gender. Three predictors (p < . 001) contributed to each of the function solutions concerning practitioner attempts to target the organizational environment (perceived competency, perceived effectiveness, and normative beliefs) and practitioner attempts at policy change (perceived competency, knowledge, and normative beliefs). Conclusions. Tobacco-control practitioners who perceive themselves as having the skills to develop and/or implement interventions targeting a persons environment are more likely to target the environment for change.

A Pilot Study of Physical Activity Education Delivery in Diabetes Education Centres in Ontario

OBJECTIVE To explore physical activity (PA) education delivery in Ontario Diabetes Education Centres (DECs). METHODS Semistructured telephone interviews were conducted with diabetes educators involved in PA education from 26 (55%) of 47 eligible centres. Frequency analysis was used to assess responses to closed questions, and qualitative analysis was used to investigate spontaneous comments about PA education content and delivery. RESULTS Respondents were 61.5% registered nurses, 23% registered dietitians, 7.7% kinesiologists and 7.7% others. All (100%) reported doing something to address PA education, including the following: exercise prescription (73%), PA-specific behavioural counselling (88%), PA follow-up (77%) and providing written materials (92%). However, a substantial proportion of educators did not feel comfortable with their own skills and training in this area. CONCLUSIONS There is a lack of standardization in the content and delivery of PA education in Ontario DECs, and many diabetes educators feel that they lack the skills and training related to PA counselling.

Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Physical Activity Referral Scheme Among Women

Evidence supports the effectiveness of interventions delivered in primary care to promote physical activity (PA). Specifically, approaches where physician counseling is coupled with other strategies (eg, referrals to community resources) have been recognized as the most promising. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a PA prescription plus referral intervention versus a prescription only intervention delivered in primary care. Ten family physicians and their female patients (N = 35, mean age = 36 years) were randomly assigned to 1 of 3 conditions: prescription plus (n = 12), prescription only (n = 12), and usual care (n = 11). The prescription plus group received a PA prescription plus a referral to a community program, the prescription only group received only the PA prescription, and the usual care group received usual health care. The Godin Leisure-Time Exercise Questionnaire was used to measure PA. A significant increase on the PA score (P < .05, partial η2 = .178) and on total weekly PA minutes (P < .05, partial η2 = .179) was observed in both prescription groups after the intervention. There were no significant group differences (P > .05). No PA changes were observed in the usual care group. Findings from this pilot study suggest that brief PA counseling and a prescription delivered in primary care can be effective for promoting PA among women. Referring patients did not seem to enhance the effect on PA.

An ecological and theoretical deconstruction of a school-based obesity prevention program in Mexico

BackgroundEcological intervention programs are recommended to prevent overweight and obesity in children. The National Institute of Public Health (INSP) in Mexico implemented a successful ecological intervention program to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors in school age children. This study assessed the integration of ecological principles and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) constructs in this effective school-based obesity prevention program implemented in 15 elementary schools in Mexico City.MethodsTwo coders applied the Intervention Analysis Procedure (IAP) to “map” the program’s integration of ecological principles. A checklist gauged the use of SCT theory in program activities.ResultsThirty-two distinct intervention strategies were implemented in one setting (i.e., school) to engage four different target-groups (students, parents, school representatives, government) across two domains (Nutrition and Physical Activity). Overall, 47.5% of the strategies targeted the school infrastructure and/or personnel; 37.5% of strategies targeted a key political actor, the Public Education Secretariat while fewer strategies targeted parents (12.5%) and children (3%). More strategies were implemented in the Nutrition domain (69%) than Physical Activity (31%). The most frequently used SCT construct within both intervention domains was Reciprocal Determinism (e.g., where changes to the environment influence changes in behavior and these behavioral changes influence further changes to the environment); no significant differences were observed in the use of SCT constructs across domains.ConclusionsFindings provide insight into a promising combination of strategies and theoretical constructs that can be used to implement a school-based obesity prevention program. Strategies emphasized school-level infrastructure/personnel change and strong political engagement and were most commonly underpinned by Reciprocal Determinism for both Nutrition and Physical Activity.

Enhancing Indigenous Health Promotion Research Through Two-Eyed Seeing: A Hermeneutic Relational Process:

The intention of this article is to demonstrate how Indigenous and allied health promotion researchers learned to work together through a process of Two-Eyed Seeing. This process was first introduced as a philosophical hermeneutic research project on diabetes prevention within an Indigenous community in Quebec Canada. We, as a research team, became aware that hermeneutics and the principles of Haudenosaunee decision making were characteristic of Two-Eyed Seeing. This article describes our experiences while working with each other. Our learning from these interactions emphasized the relational aspects needed to ensure that we became a highly functional research team while working together and becoming Two-Eyed Seeing partners.