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Behavior, Psychology and Sociology

Effect of physical activity intervention on weight change in rural older Chinese: a cluster randomized controlled trial

International Journal of Obesity volume 48, pages 1758–1766 (2024)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background

Current randomized trial evidence for the effects of physical activity intervention on weight change in adults was mainly from western countries, with little reliable evidence from low- and middle-income countries, such as China, where lifestyle factors and obesity patterns differ substantially from those in western countries. We examined the effects of physical activity intervention on weight change using cluster randomized trial data among Chinese older adults.

Methods

The cluster randomized controlled trial included an 8-week physical activity intervention period and was followed up to 24 months. Eight villages were randomly assigned to the intervention group (4 villages, n = 240) or the control group (4 villages, n = 268). The intervention group received physical activity intervention based on the socio-ecological model, while the control group did not. The intervention involved three levels: individual, interpersonal, and community levels, which aimed to promote leisure-time physical activity of participants. The primary outcome of the present study was the difference in percentage weight change at 24 months from baseline. We used Tanita BC-601 analyzer scales to measure weight and recorded it to the nearest 0.1 kg.

Results

Among the 508 participants, the mean age was 70.93 (SD, 5.69) years, and 55.5% were female. There were significant differences in percentage weight change between the intervention group and the control group with a mean change of −1.78% (95% CI, −2.67% to −0.90%; p < 0.001) in the total sample, −1.94% (95% CI, −3.14% to −0.73%; p = 0.002) in participants with overweight/obesity, and −1.45% (95% CI, −2.73% to −0.18%; p = 0.027) among participants with underweight/healthy weight in favor of the intervention group at 24 months.

Conclusions

Physical activity intervention resulted in weight loss in rural older sample at 24 months. This suggested that physical activity interventions are feasible for weight loss among older adults, especially for those with overweight/obesity or aged under 80.

Trial registration

The study has been registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on April 20, 2021 (ChiCTR2100045653), https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=123704.

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Fig. 1
Fig. 2: Model-based mean change from baseline at each assessment time point for adiposity-related markers.
Fig. 3: Modifiers of the intervention effect on weight change.

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Data availability

Data collected for the study will be made available publicly upon reasonable request. For further detailed data access policy and procedure, please contact junmin.zhou@scu.edu.cn.

Code availability

Code for the study will be made available publicly upon reasonable request. For further detailed code access policy and procedure, please contact junmin.zhou@scu.edu.cn.

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Acknowledgements

The full trial protocol can be accessed in the Study Protocol file. We thank Mr. Shourui Huang at Sichuan University for his contributions to the data analyses.

Funding

The study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 71904135), Tibet Science and Technology Program (Grant No. XZ202301ZY0047G), and Chengdu Science and Technology Program (Grant No. 2022-YF05-01751-SN). The funders of the study had no role in study design, data collection, data analysis, data interpretation, or writing of the report.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. West China School of Public Health and West China Fourth Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, 610041, Sichuan, China

    Qian Deng, Nanyan Li, Shiyi Li, Jie Peng, Na Ji, Julinling Hu, Xing Zhao & Junmin Zhou

  2. School of Public Health, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA, 30303, USA

    Yufei Wang

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Contributions

Qian Deng: investigation, conceptualization, data curation, methodology, formal analysis, software, visualization, writing—original draft. Nanyan Li: investigation, data curation, conceptualization. Shiyi Li, Jie Peng, and Na Ji: conceptualization, visualization. Yufei Wang: conceptualization, writing—review & editing, validation. Julinling Hu: investigation. Xing Zhao: methodology. Junmin Zhou: investigation, funding acquisition, supervision, project administration, writing—review & editing, resources.

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Correspondence to Junmin Zhou.

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Deng, Q., Li, N., Li, S. et al. Effect of physical activity intervention on weight change in rural older Chinese: a cluster randomized controlled trial. Int J Obes 48, 1758–1766 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-024-01616-1

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