Can Healthy Behaviors Last?
Author Information
Author(s): Merrill Ray M, Aldana Steven G, Greenlaw Roger L, Salberg Audrey, Diehl Hans A, Englert Heike
Primary Institution: Brigham Young University
Hypothesis
Does health behavior decay exist and how long can significant improvements in behavior be maintained?
Conclusion
Participants' physical activity and dietary behaviors improved significantly over 18 months, with most healthy behaviors not returning to baseline levels.
Supporting Evidence
- Participants improved their physical activity and dietary behaviors significantly over 18 months.
- Most behavior changes were more pronounced at 6 weeks than at 18 months.
- Participants in the lowest quartiles of physical activity at baseline showed the most improvement.
Takeaway
This study shows that when people learn to eat better and exercise more, they can keep up these good habits for a long time, even if they don't stick to them perfectly.
Methodology
Participants attended a 4-week educational course and were assessed on their physical activity and dietary behaviors at baseline, 6 weeks, and 18 months.
Potential Biases
Participants were mostly white and more educated than the general community, which may affect the applicability of the findings.
Limitations
The study's results may not be generalizable due to self-selection of participants and lack of a control group.
Participant Demographics
Participants were aged 24 to 81 years, mostly white, and had a higher education level than the general population.
Statistical Information
P-Value
0.07
Confidence Interval
95% CI
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
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