Objectives: To determine the effectiveness of healthy diet and physical exercises on reducing the risk of metabolic abnormalities in community-living adults. Methods: Taichung Health Bureau and Asia University partnered to design a program and trained field workers to carry out a health-promoting project in summer 2010. Twenty-one community groups totaling 583 adults participated in the project and one group was randomly chosen to serve as controls. All participants received graphic leaflets on healthy living but treatment groups received class sessions on healthy eating and exercise activities for the first four weeks. Field workers empowered group leaders to organize and choose appropriate group activities. Group leaders served as role models and helped break learning barriers. Participants shared progress and experiences of action-learning at monthly meetings. Results: After 16 weeks, significant (all p<0.05) treatment effects were observed in body weight, BMI and waist circumference. The net changes from baseline were -0.75 vs. -1.74 kg for weight, -0.32 vs. -0.70 kg/m2 for BMI, -0.18 vs. -2.67 cm for waist circumference for control and treatment groups, respectively. Logistic regression analyses suggested that weight reduction was significantly associated with greater physical activity; cholesterol lowering with physical exercise and eating more vegetables; and improved blood glucose and blood pressure with eating more fruits. Conclusions: Empowerment of local group leaders was an effective strategy in promoting healthy eating and physical activity to reduce the risk of metabolic disorders in community-living adults. The program can serve as a model of community health-promotion in other counties.
