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Topical Area: Obesity

Obesity (Poster Session)

(P31-067-23) Health Behaviors Predicting Obesity in US Adults: What Does a Healthy Lifestyle Look Like?

Monday, July 24, 2023
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM ET
Location: Poster Board 289
Disclosure(s):
Jacqueline A. Vernarelli, PhD: Medifast, Inc.: Consultant (Terminated, June 1, 2023)
Christopher Coleman, MS, RDN: Medifast, Inc.: Employee (Ongoing)


Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between lifestyle factors and body weight in a nationally representative sample of US adults and to evaluate the association between a “Healthy Habit Composite Score (HHCS)” and risk of obesity.

Methods: This study used data from a nationally representative sample of 4,870 adults >18y of age who participated in the 2017-2018 NHANES. As part of the NHANES, height and weight were measured by trained examiners, dietary intake data was collected using 24-hour recall, and validated questionnaires were used to collect data about physical activity, sleep, and mental health. Data analysis was conducted using SAS 9.4 using procedures to account for the complex survey design of the NHANES. All models were adjusted for age, sex, race, educational attainment, and household income. The HHCS was developed based on four factors: healthy sleep, healthy diet and healthy motion (adequate physical activity and limited sedentary time) to determine the association with the risk of obesity. A “healthy lifestyle” was defined as meeting ≥ 3 of the 4 established HHCS criteria.

Results: Several lifestyle factors were associated with risk for obesity in this study population. Adults with obesity had a greater risk of depression (p=0.02) and self-reported poorer general health (p < 0.0001) compared with lean adults. Adults with obesity were more likely to report greater sedentary time (approximately 1 hour more), have a lower diet quality (measured by HEI) and higher dietary energy density than lean adults (all p< 0.0001). There was a strong inverse relationship between healthy lifestyle behaviors and obesity. Achieving a healthy lifestyle was associated with nearly double the odds of having a healthy body weight (OR 1.9, p=0.0002).

Conclusions: Though there are many lifestyle behaviors related to obesity, following a lifestyle that focuses on healthy sleep, a healthy diet, and healthy motion (adequate physical activity and limited sedentary time) is strongly associated with a decreased risk of obesity. Interventions that have a comprehensive lifestyle intervention may be the most effective at preventing obesity.

Funding Sources: Jason Pharmaceuticals, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Medifast, Inc.