Investigating the Effect of Lifestyle Change Programs on the Improvement of Subjective Wellbeing of Obese Females

Abstract

AbstractIntroduction: Obesity causes multiple problems that may potentially lead into physical diseases and mental health problems. The present study aims at investigating the effect of lifestyle change programs on the improvement of subjective well-being of obese females.Method: This study is a quasi-experimental research and falls into a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the study includes all the obese females who had attended diet and nutrition clinics in Sanandaj during 2016. Convenience sampling was used in order to select the total 20 sufferers who were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups (each one with 10 patients). The experimental group participated in 10 sessions of lifestyle change program, whereas the control group received no intervention. Subjective Well-being Scales were administered to both groups before and after the implementation of the program. Multivariate covariance test was applied in order to analyze the data.Results: The findings show a decrease in negative emotions and an increase in life satisfaction and also positive emotions are significant (P≤0.01). It suggests that changing the individuals' lifestyles significantly affects such factors.Conclusion: It is worth mentioning that the findings of the present study have practical implications as far as decreasing mental health problems and increasing the mental health of obese people are concerned.