The perceived importance of a leisure education component in outpatient weight management programs serving adult women
Abstract
Previous research has cited the need for new and additional
programming for effective long term weight management
treatment. This study sought to determine the extent to
which health care professionals perceive leisure education
as an important component to include in weight management
programs serving adult women. 100 health care professionals
(physicians, registered dietitians, mental health
therapists, exercise physiologists, certified therapeutic
recreation specialists) were surveyed regarding important
leisure education components to include in weight management
programs. Results indicated that all professional groups
surveyed believed leisure education was an important
component to include. The results of an ANOVA for the
components of the leisure education content model were
statistically significant for gender. The findings for
the other dependent variable, profession, were not
significant. The implications of these results for health
care providers are discussed.
Subject
Weight loss - Psychological aspects
Body weight - Regulation
Leisure - Study and teaching
Overweight women - Recreation
Allied health personnel - Attitudes