Obesity Increases the Risk for Many Fatal

Obesity increases the risk for many fatal diseases, including cardiovascular disease, and is recorded in the United States, as being the second preventable leading cause of death (smoking is the first) (World Health Organization, 2000). One of the recommendations for weight-loss is exercise. The Consumer Report (2002), for instance, showed that exercising at least three times a week was a strategy that 73% of successful dieters shared (Brannon & Feist, 2007). Many people, however get intimidated at the very thought of exercise due to the required self-discipline and immensity of the project.

Then, too there is gym membership that is costly for the average working person, aside from which there is the element of time too. For someone, for instance a single mother whose life orbits around her job and her children, attending a gym would mean an hour less of work that she, patently, can barely afford to do. In all ways, therefore, for many people exercise is an intimidating specter.

The Honolulu Heart program (Hakim et al., 1998) produced research that showed that men who included a daily walk of 2 or more miles cut their risk for sudden cardiac death in half. A similar study from the Cooper Clinic in Dallas (Stofen et al., 1998) on a mixed-gender group reported similar results. The problem was that their research mainly devolved around elderly individuals, excluded those who were overweight and focused on a specific population.

It also did not compare results with a gym-fixated individual or with one who followed a conventional weight-loss program. The thesis, then, that I would like to investigate is whether the Honolulu Heart program's proposal has an equal chance of success for an overweight individual and its comparison to two kind of conventional programs: attendance at a regular gym, and attendance in an aerobic / weightlifting program.

Methodology I would have four different groups, randomly sampled, on a population that come from a similar socio-economic background between the ages of 25 -- 40, both genders, of multi-ethnic origin. Inclusionary conditions would be the fact that all individuals have either never exercised before, or exercised infrequently, and have not been exercising for at least a year prior to joining the program. All individuals would also be overweight (no obese). None of these individuals would be currently on a diet, or taking medication that is dedicated to losing weight.

None either are attending a behavior modification program or some other program oriented to weight loss. Their personal lives would be investigated to ascertain that no individuals are currently experiencing stress, are ill, or experiencing any other factor that may induce weight-loss. Finally, all individuals would share a similar work-life that involves primarily sedentary activities. One group would act as control.

One group would receive training on a combination of aerobics, weight lifting; one group would receive training on how to utilize gym equipment, and the last group (the experimental study) would receive training on the Honolulu program. Each group would then spend 2 months daily for one hour each day practicing their routine. Their weight measurements (BMI) would be taken at the onset of the sessions), it would be again recorded halfway through the sessions, and then finally one more time at the end.

A multivariate assessment would be conducted at the end, followed by a test assessing effect. Assistants who are double-blinded as to members of the group, and the objective of these activities will assist in training and in recording results. Aerobic training and weightlifting will be taught by a professional trainer.

The limitations include the fact that genetically some may be disposed to more rapid weight loss than others; and that a full account of their activities beyond the session is unknown (some may be more active than others in their home environment). For that reason, factors other than the actual exercise may have contributed to weight loss if there be any. Maturity may be a problem here too with one or more participants dropping out.