Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms, Eating Behavior, Physical Activity, Self Esteem, Subjective Well-being, Weight Loss
Conditions
Brief summary
In post-menopause, most women gain weight, and obesity rates are more prevalent in this particular group. In addition, there is an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, and diabetes. Given that this weight gain can be related to risk behaviours, healthy weight management (such as an increase in physical activity or healthy eating) is crucial to promote a healthy weight and well-being. The ME-WEL (MEnopause and WEigth Loss) project (ref. SFRH/BD/144525/2019), entails an eHealth intervention for weight management and well-being in post-menopausal women with overweight or obesity, based on two theoretical models of behavioral change - the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA), and the Health Belief Model (HBM), and applying the Behaviour Change Techniques (BCT) Taxonomy and Oxford Food and Activity Behaviors (OxFAB) Taxonomy. This group's eHealth intervention lasts 8 weeks. Each week there is a different theme to be addressed, taking into account the behavioral change models mechanisms, in articulation with different BCT´s and weight strategies. Subjective well-being, self-esteem, weight loss, implementation of weight management strategies, and changes in eating behavior and physical activity/exercise were evaluated, through follow-ups at 3- and 6- post-intervention.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALControl Group: Delivery of a health literacy flyer
A health literacy flyer was delivered, by e-mail, in the first week of the intervention (the flyer contained its original source - the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control). Beyond this, there was no further interaction with the group. All primary and secondary outcome measures were assessed at baseline, one month later (in the middle of the intervention), post-intervention, and follow-up moments (3 and 6 months after the intervention).
BEHAVIORALExperimental Group: Weekly group sessions for weight management
The eHealth intervention was designed based on: i) the Health Action Process Approach determinants, ii) the Health Belief Model constructs, and iii) behaviour change techniques (BCT, Taxonomy v1, by Michie et al., 2013) to implement healthy behaviours. The intervention consists of 8 sessions (90 minutes, once a week). All group intervention sessions, through the Zoom platform, are led by the psychologist responsible for the study. Whatsapp groups were created, to share experiences, knowledge, doubts, fears... All primary and secondary outcome measures were assessed at baseline, one month later (in the middle of the intervention), post-intervention, and in follow-up moments (3 and 6 months after the intervention).
Sponsors
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
ISPA - Instituto Universitario de Ciencias Psicologicas, Sociais e da Vida
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
OTHER
Masking
SINGLE (Subject)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
FEMALE
Age
45 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Age (45-65 years); * Post-menopausal women (which starts after menopause/last period, confirmed by 12-month amenorrhea); * Women with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 kg/m2 or more (overweight) or women with a BMI of 30 kg/m2 or more (obesity); * Nationality (Portuguese or dual nationality);
Exclusion criteria
* Specifical diseases and/or medical reasons to limit activity (stroke, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy, musculoskeletal problems that severely compromise mobility; loss of functional ability); * Diagnosis of mental health illness or recent hospitalization for mental health reasons; * History of alcohol dependence; * History of addiction to illicit substances; * Suicidal ideation
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Positive and negative affect | Change from Baseline positive and negative affect one month after the intervention´s beginning, one week post-intervention, and at 3- and 6- months follow-ups | Evaluated by Short-Form of the Portuguese version of the positive and negative affect schedule - PANAS - Port - VRP (Galinha et al., 2014) |
| Satisfaction with life scale | Change from Baseline satisfaction with life scale one month after the intervention´s beginning, one week post-intervention, and at 3- and 6- months follow-ups | Evaluated by Satisfaction with life scale (Diener et al., 1985) |
| Weight management strategies | Change from Baseline weight management strategies one month after the intervention´s beginning, one week post-intervention, and at 3- and 6- months follow-ups | Measured by the Oxford Food and Activity Behaviors Taxonomy (OxFAB-MAW; Leitão et al., 2023) |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Self-esteem | Change from Baseline self-esteem one month after the intervention´s beginning, one week post-intervention, and at 3- and 6- months follow-ups | Assessed by the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSS; Rosenberg, 1965) |
| Weight loss | Change from Baseline weight loss one month after the intervention´s beginning, one week post-intervention, and at 3- and 6- months follow-ups | Assessed by Body Mass Index (BMI) - weight and height will be combined to report BMI in kg/m\^2 |
| Behaviour change (HBM) | Change from Baseline behaviour change one month after the intervention´s beginning, one week post-intervention, and at 3- and 6- months follow-ups | Evaluated by HBM questionnaire (tailored to weight management), based on Saghafi-Asl and collaborators' study (2020). |
| Behaviour change (HAPA) | Change from Baseline behaviour change one month after the intervention´s beginning, one week post-intervention, and at 3- and 6- months follow-ups | Assessed by HAPA Questionnaire (tailored to weight management), based on Godinho and collaborators' study (Godinho et al., 2014) |
| Eating behaviour | Change from Baseline eating behaviour one month after the intervention´s beginning, one week post-intervention, and at 3- and 6- months follow-ups | Measured by the Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-R21; Cappelleri et al., 2009) |
| Physical Activity | Change from Baseline physical activity one month after the intervention´s beginning, one week post-intervention, and at 3- and 6- months follow-ups | Assessed by the International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ; Craig et al., 2003) |
Countries
Portugal
Outcome results
None listed