Native Hawaiians who use a DVD-based weight loss program can shed pounds and keep pounds off just as well as those who take in-person classes, a new study finds.
In the study called PILI@Work, researchers at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa recruited more than 200 employees in Native Hawaiian-serving organizations who wanted to lose weight. Most of the study participants were Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander.
“Obesity leads to diabetes and premature death. This program aimed to improve long-term health by teaching ways to lose pounds and keep them off,” said Professor Kathryn L. Braun, DrPH, who worked on the study and is the director of the Office of Public Health Studies at the university.
The PILI@Work progam is a year long. In the first three months, participants met in groups to learn new skills and develop action plans. A significant portion lost at least 3 percent of their original body weight.
During the next nine months, half the participants continued to attend classes, while the other half watched lessons on DVDs at work or home. About 60 percent of all participants maintained their weight loss one year later. Results were the same, whether the participants had watched the DVD or had participated in face-to-face classes.
“PILI@Work works because it builds on a curriculum developed by Hawaiians for Hawaiians,” said Professor J. Keawe‘aimoku Kaholokula, principal investigator of study and chair of the Department of Native Hawaiian Health at the John A. Burns School of Medicine.
“The classes and DVDs were tailored to Hawaiian culture and communities. The program included language and foods specific to Native Hawaiians and focused on helping participants garner family support and identify community resources that support their healthy lifestyle choices. The program also incorporated tips on eating healthy on a budget and good communication with your doctor,” added Claire Townsend Ing, DrPH, who coordinated the study and is a researcher with the John A. Burns School of Medicine.
The researchers noted that the people who had maintained the greatest weight loss after a year were the ones who participated the most intensely during the first three months of the program.
"It seems that a key to weight loss is to jump in with both feet when you're starting a program,” said Braun.
DVDs may be appealing because they are less expensive than classes. DVDs also give people more flexibility in scheduling.
