Date of Graduation

2001

Document Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of an intensive one-week Lifestyle Management course on behavioral, psychological, physiological, and psycho-behavioral factors. The current study contained forty-five participants (N = 45) which included twenty-four individuals enrolled in the Lifestyle Management course (experimental group) and twenty-one matched individuals (control group). The experimental group experienced high-level wellness in the intensive one-week course of Lifestyle Management. The control group did not participate in the Lifestyle Management course or any other wellness course prior to the study. The experimental and control groups were evaluated at three time points: prior to entering the course (pre-test), upon completion of the course (post-test), and three months after the completion of the course (3-month post-test). The behaviors/factors evaluated included energy expenditure, dietary intake of fat and cholesterol, positive and negative mood, blood lipids, cortisol, and stage of change, self-efficacy, and decisional balance for adoption of physical activity and a low-fat diet. Results revealed that the Lifestyle Management course was successful in improving, from pre-test to post-test, dietary intake of fat and cholesterol, and positive mood. These improvements were not maintained to the 3-month post-test evaluation. Results also indicated that the Lifestyle Management course was not successful in improving energy expenditure, negative mood, blood lipids, cortisol, or stage of behavior change, self-efficacy, and decisional balance for adoption of physical activity and choosing a low-fat diet from pre-test to post-test or to the 3-month post-test evaluation. Future research investigations examining the effects of an intensive lifestyle management course are discussed.

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