Do lifestyle interventions work in developing countries? Findings from the Isfahan Healthy Heart Program in the Islamic Republic of Iran
Nizal Sarrafzadegan, Roya Kelishadi, Ahmad Esmaillzadeh, Noushin Mohammadifard, Katayoun Rabiei, Hamidreza Roohafza, Leila Azadbakht, Ahmad Bahonar, Gholamhossein Sadri, Ahmad Amani, Saeid Heidari & Hossein Malekafzali
Volume 87, Number 1, January 2009, 39-50
Table 4. Diet, physical activity and smoking in Isfahan and Najaf-Abad (intervention areas) and Arak (control area) before and after lifestyle interventions in a study of the effects of the Isfahan Healthy Heart Program, the Islamic Republic of Iran
| Behaviour | Baseline | Annual evaluation |
P-value for trend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||||
| n | |||||||
| Intervention areas | 6 175 | 2 994 | 2 400 | 3 012 | |||
| Control area | 6 339 | 2 897 | 2 393 | 3 070 | |||
| Mean dietary scorea ± SD | |||||||
| Intervention areas | 4.6 ± 1.5 | 5.3 ± 1.5 | 5.9 ± 1.6 | 6.7 ± 1.5 | < 0.05 | ||
| Control area | 5.7 ± 1.5 | 5.8 ± 1.4 | 5.8 ± 1.4 | 4.5 ± 1.6 | 0.41 | ||
| P-value | < 0.01 | < 0.05 | 0.24 | < 0.01 | |||
| Healthy dietb (%) | |||||||
| Intervention areas | 16.9 | 17.7 | 24.3 | 31.8 | < 0.01 | ||
| Control area | 12.8 | 14.4 | 13.9 | 10.8 | 0.38 | ||
| P-value | < 0.05 | < 0.05 | < 0.01 | < 0.001 | |||
| Daily smokers (%) | |||||||
| Intervention areas | 14.8 | 15.0 | 11.9 | 13.9 | < 0.05 | ||
| Control area | 15.2 | 16.3 | 15.3 | 12.6 | 0.004 | ||
| P-value | 0.63 | 0.24 | < 0.05 | 0.09 | |||
| Total daily physical activity (MET-m/week ± SD) | |||||||
| Intervention areas | 606 ± 402 | 570 ± 396 | 550 ± 381 | 538 ± 391 | < 0.01 | ||
| Control area | 620 ± 398 | 629 ± 393 | 603 ± 411 | 506 ± 361 | < 0.01 | ||
| P-value | 0.04 | < 0.01 | < 0.01 | < 0.01 | |||
| Leisure time physical activity (MET-m/week ± SD) | |||||||
| Intervention areas | 85 ± 91 | 82 ± 76 | 104 ± 74 | 120 ± 160 | < 0.01 | ||
| Control area | 84 ± 90 | 74 ± 63 | 91 ± 58 | 106 ± 147 | < 0.01 | ||
| P-value | 0.70 | < 0.01 | < 0.01 | < 0.01 | |||
| Individuals (%) with ≥ 30 minutes/day of moderate or vigorous activity | |||||||
| Intervention areas | 47.0 | 34.6 | 47.2 | 33.2 | < 0.01 | ||
| Control area | 46.8 | 24.0 | 32.0 | 31.1 | < 0.001 | ||
| P-value | 0.93 | < 0.05 | < 0.01 | 0.11 | |||
MET-m/week, metabolic equivalent task minutes per week; SD, standard deviation.
a Dietary score was calculated by summing up the scores given to participants based on quintile cut-points based on consumption of items in 12 food groups.
b Individuals on a healthy diet were considered as those having a total diet score of ≥ 8.