Impacto de un programa de educación grupal en adultos con obesidad sobre la composición corporal y la actividad física

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Obesity is a chronic disease ofhigh prevalence, associated with an increased risk ofmorbidity and mortality. Lifestyle changes are the basis oftreatment. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the impact of a group education program in adults with obesity on anthropometric parameters, body composition (BC) and physical activity (PA). MATERIAL ANO METHODS: Randomized clinical tria! with patients with obesity evaluated in Endocrinology consultations. They were randomly assigned to an intervention group (IG) with a structured group educational program or to a control group (CG) with follow-up according to usual clinical practice. RESULTS: We included 437 patients (81.5% women), with no baseline differences between groups. In the GI the weight fell by 6.5%, while in the GC it increased by 3%. Waist circumference and BMI decreased significantly in the GI, where a greater decrease in fat mass and visceral fat was also observed, without reduction of fat-free mass.The intervention was associated with a favorable evolution of BC indices related to sarcopenic obesity. The IG showed a tendency to perform a higher leve! of PA. CONCLUSIONS: Our group education program showed positive effects on anthropometric and body composition parameters, and on the performance of physical activity.