Web-Based Weight Loss Interventions for African-Caribbean Women

非洲裔加勒比妇女比人口中的其他妇女更容易肥胖。我们打算制定一项因特网方案，帮助这些妇女减肥，使其内容符合她们的需要。这项研究将在整个制定和执行过程中与目标群体积极接触。我们将使用定量和定性方法来评估非洲-加勒比妇女和社区团体对体重控制问题的看法。然后，我们将以适合文化的方式调整现有的成功体重控制计划，以帮助支持体育活动和食物选择的变化。该方案将在一个网站上实施。我们将从非洲-加勒比妇女那里得到关于这个网站的反馈，并在适当的情况下进行进一步的调整。利用互联网促进健康的一个关键因素是设计有效的方法，鼓励人们获取和利用这些材料。然后，我们计划在工作场所进行一项研究，以发现使用该计划是否会导致体重减轻，饮食和体育活动的变化以及生活质量。将采用等候名单控制设计，以便一些妇女立即获得该方案，而另一些妇女将在延迟后获得该方案。我们将与参与者讨论他们喜欢和不喜欢使用软件包的事情，并相应地修改它。如果这项研究成功，我们打算申请资金进行一项大型试验，以评估其在更长时间内的有效性，在随机对照试验中有更多的人。我们计划通过与社区团体交谈和为卫生专业人员举办研讨会来传播研究结果。这将概述我们在这个社区中发现的价值观和信仰，以及在帮助他们管理体重方面特别有益的东西。调查结果将通过社区报纸和网站、当地社区团体和初级保健信托基金向非洲-加勒比人口公布。这项研究可用于为其他少数群体的干预措施提供信息，从而使其不仅仅对非洲-加勒比妇女具有相关性。拟议的干预措施将为非洲裔加勒比妇女提供一个经济的减肥生活方式方案，有可能对这一人口的健康产生广泛影响。

African-Caribbean women are more likely to be obese than other woman in the population. We intend to develop an Internet programme to help these women lose weight, making its content relevant to their needs. The study will involve active engagement with the target group throughout its development and implementation. We will use quantitative and qualitative methods to evaluate the views of African-Caribbean women and community groups on the issue of weight control. We will then adapt an existing successful weight control programme in a culturally-appropriate fashion to help support changes in physical activity and food choice. This programme will be implemented in a website. We will get feedback from African-Caribbean women about this site, and make further adaptations if appropriate. A critical element in the use of the Internet for health promotion is to devise effective ways of encouraging people to access the materials and utilize them. We then plan to run a study at a workplace to discover whether using the programme results in weight loss, changes in diet and physical activity, and in quality of life. A waiting list control design will be used, so that some women will be offered the programme immediately while others will be given access after a delay. We will discuss with the participants the things they liked and disliked about using the package, and modify it accordingly. If the study is successful, we intend to apply for funding to run a large trial to evaluate its effectiveness over a longer period with a larger number of people in a randomised controlled trial. We plan to disseminate the findings by talking to community groups and running a workshop for health professionals. This will outline what we have found about the values and beliefs in this community as well as what was particularly beneficial in helping them to manage their weight. The findings will be publicised to the African-Caribbean population via community newspapers and websites, local community groups and Primary Care Trusts. This study could be used to inform interventions for other minority groups therefore making it relevant beyond just African-Caribbean women. The proposed intervention will offer an economical lifestyle programme for weight loss for Afro-Caribbean women with the potential for widespread effects on the health of this population.