Young Women Prefer Individually Tailored Weight Loss Advice

The word is out - young women want
personally tailored nutrition advice and information when it comes to weight loss.
Over 80% of young women are trying to lose weight but are confused about the best way
to achieve this a study published by Wiley-Blackwell in the June 2007 issue of Nutrition
& Dietetics - the official Journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia, including
the Journal of the New Zealand Dietetic Association - has found.



The study is the first in Australia to examine women's views on different approaches to
weight loss, their preferences on how the program are delivered (e.g. individual versus
group sessions), and likelihood of participation.



Lead author Dr. David Crawford, Associate Head at the School of Exercise and Nutrition
Services at Deakin University, said, "Our study suggests young women are moving away
from weight loss groups and classes, with 58% preferring to receive individual face-toface
advice on weight loss from a health professional. They want information on a range
of topics including meal planning, cooking, low-fat recipes and how to better manage
stress."



Co-author Dr. Kylie Ball, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Physical Activity and
Nutrition Research, Deakin University added, "This request for information also suggests
they don't currently have access to good quality information about healthy eating and
being physically active, or that the abundance of information that is currently available
simple serves to confuse them. They would also be more likely to participate in a weight
loss program if it was tailored to their needs".



Accredited Practising Dietitian (APD) and Spokesperson for the Dietitians Association of
Australia, Tara Diversi, sees many women in her practice who want to lose weight and
says the study findings confirm what many dietitians already know. "Many of the women lots of different weight loss programs that haven't worked. The key to success is giving
people the information they want and the confidence to eat in a way that is right for them.
APDs work out an eating plan that meets each person's specific needs and fits with their
lifestyle so they can stick with it for life" Ms Diversi said.



This paper is published in the June 2007 issue of