Weight-loss intervention successful in improving mobility in overweight, obese adults

Rejeski W. Arch Intern Med. 2011; doi:10.1001/archinternmed.2010.522.

Overweight or obese adults who participated in an intervention that included physical activity and dietary-based weight loss had significantly improved mobility at 18 months compared with those who underwent physical activity alone or an educational intervention.

Researchers of the translational, randomized controlled trial recruited 288 participants from three counties in North Carolina who had cardiovascular disease or cardiometabolic dysfunction. Patients were only eligible if they met certain criteria, among them being 60 to 79 years of age; participating in less than 60 minutes per week of moderate, structured physical activity; and a BMI greater than 28.

At 18 months, researchers found that compared with participants who underwent physical activity alone (n=97), those in the dietary weight loss and physical activity group (n=98) had an improved 400-m walk test (323.3 seconds vs. 336.3 seconds; P=.02). The improvement was even more pronounced in the dietary weight loss and physical activity group when compared with the successful-aging education arm (323.3 seconds vs. 341.3 seconds; P<.001).

Additionally, participants demonstrating the poorest mobility showed the most improvements (P<.001).

“This investigation revealed that a community-based weight loss and physical activity intervention can have a favorable effect on preserving the mobility of older, obese adults who are at risk for or have CVD,” the researchers concluded. “The magnitude of change that we observed in both the weight loss and physical activity groups was comparable with data from highly successful, center-based intervention research. Future studies are needed to expand this line of investigation to other community jurisdictions to examine the generalizability of these findings.”

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