Estudio del papel de la educación nutricional en el proceso de pérdida de peso Study of the role of nutrition education in the process of weight loss

Objective: Our study aims to assess the effectiveness of nutrition education in fighting overweight and obesity. Methods: The study enrolled healthy adult women from Casablanca, Morocco with overweight or obesity. 96 women participated to the study, but only 52 participated to the end. Participants were randomized into 3 groups: control group (CG), group 1 (G1 participated to a seminar of nutrition education), and group 2 (G2 participated to 2 follow-up sessions per month). Anthropometric measurements and body composition were taken at the baseline and after 12 weeks of the beginning of the study. Results: Both participating groups showed a signifi cant decrease in weight after the 12 weeks, (G2: 3.2 kg ± 0.65 (p<0.01); G1: 1.4 kg ± 1.33 (p<0.01)). 57 Nutr. clín. diet. hosp. 2012; 32(3):57-63 Corresponding author: Pr. Abdelfettah Derouiche [email protected] ESTUDIO DEL PAPEL DE LA EDUCACIÓN NUTRICIONAL EN EL PROCESO DE PÉRDIDA DE PESO Nutr. clín. diet. hosp. 2012; 32(3):57-63 58 Significant changes also have been noticed in the body composition parameters (body fat and skeletal muscles) in both groups. The control group didn’t show any significant changes. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that nutrition edu cation might be a cost-effective way to fight and prevent obesity in Morocco especially in communities with little knowledge about good diet and the consequences of obesity.