An In-Depth Program Evaluation: Weigh To Wellness, UNC Wellness Center at Meadowmont, 2010
Public Deposited- Last Modified
- February 27, 2019
- Creator
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Petters, Mary Hale, EP, CPT, ACSM-CIFT
- Affiliation: Gillings School of Global Public Health, Public Health Leadership Program
- Abstract
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) characterize American society as “obesogenic”; a society characterized by environments that promote increased food intake, nonhealthful foods, and physical inactivity. (The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: obesity statistics http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/index.html) Policy changes and environmental initiatives that promote healthy eating, physical activity and nutrition as well as making them accessible, affordable and easy are the best way to combat obesity and reduce the risk factors that are closely associated with it such as diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers. Successful weight loss programs must focus on lifestyle modification, not diet alone. There is some evidence to support that lifestyle modification programs are more successful than weight loss programs in that they promote healthy living, not just healthy eating. Lifestyle modification programs for weight loss generally include proper nutrition, proper exercise in terms of frequency, type, and duration; stress management, smoking cessation and even psychological assessment and/or treatment in order to create an environment of wellness both physically and environmentally. The overall goal of lifestyle modification programs is therefore lifestyle modification, not necessarily weight loss. However, while lifestyle modification and weight loss are different, they are not mutually exclusive. Weight loss programs are geared towards weight loss but should include lifestyle modification techniques so that the weight loss can be maintained. This is because losing weight as a product of dietary and exercise changes is often not the issue; making those changes a way of life is crucial to the maintenance of those changes. For example, if a person chooses to stop smoking but continues to spend time participating in the kinds of activities that were conducive to smoking for them, they are less likely to be able to continue with cessation. It is one thing to lose the weight and quite another tokeep it off over time. This paper will address the evaluation of the UNC Wellness Center program Weigh To Wellness. It is the goal of UNC Wellness Center to create a weight loss program that offers lifestyle modification techniques for weight loss that can be expanded beyond UNC Wellness Center and offered to UNC Hospital employees.
- Date of publication
- May 2010
- DOI
- Resource type
- Rights statement
- In Copyright
- Note
- Paper type: Research or research design
- Track: HC&P
- Advisor
- Steffen, David
- Degree
- Master of Public Health
- Degree granting institution
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
- Graduation year
- 2010
- Language
- Deposit record
- b6f6bdeb-f0b9-4907-a2ad-769b5d2e1080
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