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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2021;27(1):135-148.
doi: 10.46292/sci20-00025.

Barriers and Facilitators to Lifestyle Intervention Engagement and Weight Loss in People Living With Spinal Cord Injury

Andrea C Betts  1 , Christa Ochoa  2 , Rita Hamilton  2 , Seema Sikka  2 , Katherine Froehlich-Grobe  2
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Barriers and Facilitators to Lifestyle Intervention Engagement and Weight Loss in People Living With Spinal Cord Injury

Andrea C Betts et al. Top Spinal Cord Inj Rehabil. 2021.

Abstract

Background: Individuals living with spinal cord injury (SCI) have a high prevalence of obesity and unique barriers to healthy lifestyle. Objective: To examine barriers and facilitators to engagement and weight loss among SCI participants enrolled in the Group Lifestyle Balance Adapted for individuals with Impaired Mobility (GLB-AIM), a 12-month intensive lifestyle intervention. Methods: SCI participants (N = 31) enrolled in a wait-list, randomized controlled trial where all participants received intervention between August 2015 and February 2017. Analyses of pooled data occurred in 2020 to examine cross-sectional and prospective associations of hypothesized barriers and facilitators with (1) intervention engagement, comprised of attendance and self-monitoring, and (2) percent weight change from baseline to 12 months. We performed multivariable linear regression on variables associated with outcomes at p < .05 in bivariate analyses and controlled for intervention group. Results: Participants were middle-aged (mean age, 48.26 ± 11.01 years), equally male (50%) and female, White (80.7%), and unemployed (65.6%). In participants who completed baseline surveys (n = 30), dietary self-efficacy explained 26% of variance in engagement (p < .01); among the 12-month study completers (n = 22, 71.0%), relationship issues explained 23% of variance in engagement (p < .01). Money problems, health issues unrelated to SCI, lack of motivation, and experimental group explained 57% of variance in weight loss (p for model < .01), with lack of motivation uniquely explaining 24% of variance (p < .01). Conclusion: Improving engagement and weight loss for persons with SCI in the GLBAIM program may be achieved by addressing lack of motivation, relationship issues, and nutrition self-efficacy.

Keywords: barriers; facilitators; intervention; obesity; spinal cord injury; weight loss.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflicts of Interest The authors report no conflicts of interest.

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Figure 1.
CONSORT flow diagram.
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