Effectiveness of Lifestyle Interventions in an Active Duty Air Force Population

Purpose: To examine the effectiveness of 3 lifestyle intervention programs in an active duty military population. Design: Experimental design with stratified random assignment to 1 of 3 intervention groups. Measures were taken at baseline, 3 months and 6 months. Setting: A Military Treatment Facility in the western U.S. Subjects/Intervention: 122 active duty service members were enrolled and randomly assigned to 1 of 3 lifestyle intervention programs: the Diabetes Prevention Program-Group Lifestyle Balance (DPP-GLB), the Better Body Better Life (BBBL) program or the Fitness Improvement Program (FIP). Measures: weight, abdominal circumference, lipid and HbA1c levels, physical activity, and well-being as measured by the RAND SF-36 questionnaire. Analysis: Statistical analyses were performed to assess changes over time. Results: 83 participants completed the study (BBBL N = 23, FIP N = 30, DPP-GLB N = 30). The DPP-GLB participants had statistically significant decreases in weight (-3.1 pounds, p = .01) and abdominal circumference (-0.9 inches; p = .01) over time. HbA1c was also significantly lower in this group at 6 months compared to baseline (p = .036). There were no statistically significant changes in weight, abdominal circumference, or HbA1c in the FIP or BBBL groups. No significant changes were observed in lipids in any of the groups. Conclusion: Results from this study indicate that the DPP-GLB program may be effective in reducing weight, abdominal circumference, and HbA1c in an active duty U.S. military population.