Research Proposal: Maintenance of Weight Loss

Research Proposal: Maintenance of Weight Loss
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PICOT Question
In overweight adults with chronic diseases (P), does educating them on long-term weight management techniques (I) compared to no further education (C) result in weight loss maintenance for six months (T)?
Background of the Problem
There is a rapidly increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in many countries worldwide. Almost 604 million adults (12%), with an uncertainty interval of 592.9 to 615.6, have been found to suffer from obesity in 2015. Females are more likely to suffer from obesity than males in all age brackets. An individual’s risk peaks between 60 to 64 years-old in women and 50 to 54 years-old in men. Studies have also shown that obesity is highest in early adulthood, and there is no significant change from 1980 to 2015 (GBD 2015 Obesity Collaborators, 2017).
Studies suggest a rise in the body-weight index (BMI) is one of the principal factors contributing to the rising index of chronic diseases, such as those related to the cardiovascular, endocrine, musculoskeletal, neurological, and renal systems. Moreover, obesity is also associated with the increased prevalence of malignancies (GBD 2015 Obesity Collaborators, 2017). The diseases implicated include hypertension, diabetes, stroke, and cancers involving the breast, endometrium, and colon. Obesity also has a lifetime impact on finances. The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey in the United States analyzed the data from 2011 to 2012. Results revealed an estimated amount of $147 to $210 billion was spent annually on obesity-related Medicare expenses (Mendy et al., 2017).
Failure to control the obesity epidemic will lead to higher mortalities and morbidities in future generations. Therefore, various weight loss management techniques have been proposed to reduce the global burden of the disease. Data suggest that around 5 to 10% of the individual’s present weight loss leads to a significant improvement of health-related outcomes. Furthermore, a greater percentage of weight loss is beneficial in clinically diagnosed dyslipidemia, hypertension, and hyperglycemia. In non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a minimum of 10% weight reduction is advised to achieve better health outcomes (Fruh, 2017).
Weight management strategies include food choice modification, exercise, and caloric counting. Among these, physical activity has shown a significant improvement in weight reduction. To maintain ideal body weight, a balance between daily energy expenditure and daily caloric intake must be achieved. A high level of physical activity significantly moderates weight gain, especially in women. The study by Hankinson et al. and the Finnish Twin Cohort, as mentioned in Wilkund (2016), revealed that consistent physical activity is associated with less weight gain than consistent inactivity. Furthermore, the Finnish Twin Cohort reported that the differences in body composition, such...