CONTACT: Peggy Raymond, (650) 725-0916 
 

STANFORD -- Although being overweight is associated with a higher risk of heart attack, stroke and adult-onset diabetes, losing even a modest amount of weight - say fifteen pounds - can reduce this risk by lowering blood pressure and cholesterol levels. However, people often find that maintaining even a modest weight loss is extremely difficult. This winter and spring, Stanford researchers will examine two new behavioral approaches to long-term weight loss.
"We are only beginning to learn what sorts of strategies can help people maintain weight loss over the long haul," said Michaela Kiernan, PhD, research associate at the Stanford Center for Research in Disease Prevention and principal investigator of the Stanford Healthy Weight Project. "This study answers a call from national experts in cardiovascular disease, nutrition and obesity, who have identified research on behavioral approaches that improve long-term weight loss as an area of critical priority," said Kiernan, a specialist in behavioral aspects of nutrition, physical activity and weight loss.

All study participants will be randomly assigned to one of three study groups and asked to visit the clinic four times over the course of the study. Two study groups will also attend behavioral weight-loss classes. Participants in the "Smart Consumers" class will learn how to critically evaluate information presented in the media on weight loss, such as the pros and cons of eating Olestra and other fat substitutes. Participants in the "Taste-Based Choices" class will learn how to reduce their feelings of deprivation by improving the taste of low-fat foods and by choosing which of their favorite high-fat foods to eat in moderation. The third group of participants, the control group, will only make the clinic visits. At the end of the study, the researchers will assess whether participants kept off the weight they lost (expected to be approximately 15 pounds) during the twelve months after the classes end. 

Study participants in the behavioral weight-loss groups will attend classes on either Tuesday or Thursday evenings from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Fourteen classes will be held over a period of six months, beginning in early March. Participants' weight, blood pressure, aerobic fitness and dietary habits will be assessed during four clinic visits, and feedback will be provided. All assessments, materials and classes are free of charge. 

Kiernan's research is funded by a five-year First Independent Research Support and Transition (FIRST) Award from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.

Healthy men and women who would like to lose 15 pounds and whose present weight falls within the ranges in the chart below are encouraged to volunteer for this project. Participants must be over age 25 and must not be diabetic. Interested individuals will be screened over the telephone and asked to fill out questionnaires on their dietary attitudes and habits to determine whether they are eligible for participation. To obtain more information or to volunteer, call Peggy Raymond, recruitment coordinator of the Stanford Healthy Weight Project, at (650) 725-0916.
 

ELIGIBILITY WEIGHT CHART



Height          Weight (lbs.)



5'0"            138 - 179

5'1"            143 - 185

5'3"            152 - 197

5'5"            162 - 210

5'7"            172 - 223

5'9"            182 - 236

5'11"           193 - 250

6'1"            204 - 265

6'3"+           216 - 280

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