Comparative effectiveness of weight loss programs to Reduce Body Fat in Women aged 25-50 in Greece
There is a variety of weight loss programs to reduce Body Fat. In Greece, there is reported a 38% prevalence of obesity among the women, mainly in urban areas. This is a survey to compare the effectiveness of 3 weight loss programs among Caucasian women, aged 25-50 from Thessaloniki. Sixty obese women with a floating Body Mass Index (BMI) ≥25 kg/m2 were recruited for this trial and were randomly divided into 4 groups (3 Experimental and 1 Control). Their daily intake of energy was at least 1.200 kcal. The three different protocols were: Massage, Treadmill and Treadmill with Vacuum. They were applied for 12 weeks. Using the triangulation method, the processing of the data, which were collected from quantitative and qualitative research tools, showed, that the women, who followed the Treadmill with Vacuum protocol, showed the largest reductions in body fat, which were significant overall weight loss difference determined between the four groups. The factors (personal behavior, psychological, socioeconomic), that may have had affected, are presented and discussed. Accounting for the economic strategy (time and money) in those protocols, Treadmill with Vacuum alone may present a reasonable and effective option in the treatment of overweight and obesity in adults.