The effect of six-month aerobic exercise and health education program intervention on body composition to reduce visceral fat and waist circumference among army male officers at support office armed forces development command: quasi-experimental study

Abstract

Overweight and obesity are global pandemics consistent to the annual checkup of the army in support units from 2016 to 2018 found that the problem of continuously increasing BMI over the standard values. The six-month aerobic exercise and health education program intervention on body composition to reduce Visceral Fat and Waist Circumference among army male officer might have positive effects to help resolve this problem. To evaluate the effects of six-month aerobic exercise and health education program intervention on body composition to reduce Visceral Fat and Waist Circumference among army male officers at Support Office Armed Forces Development Command. Total 110 overweight adult participants at support units whose annual checkup report in 2018 was overweight without diseases met the inclusion criteria and voluntarily participated by purposive sampling techniques based on 2 separate locations in the same area. They were 2 groups: building one intervention group (n=55) received the six-month exercise program with the aerobic exercise and health education, performed it three times a week and received the knowledge through classroom lecture at baseline and the end of six-month and during the program from LINE groups whereas building two control group (n=55) did only leisure activities as usual. The Visceral Fat, the Waist Circumference (WC) were measured by the body composition analyzer (BIA) and the knowledge scores were measured by questionnaire in both groups at baseline, three-month and six-month. To compare (mean±SD) the intervention group and the control group within groups and between groups and changes among both groups at baseline, three-month and six-month found positive effects. This study found that the interactions of the visceral fat at all three time periods: baseline, three-month, six-month caused it to decrease continuously with statistically significant difference (p=0.001*). The visceral fat at baseline, three-month, six-month had no statistical difference (p=0.310), (p=0.833), (p=0.207) respectively. This study found that the interactions of the waist circumference at all three time periods: baseline, three-month, six-month caused it to decrease continuously with statistically significant difference (p=0.001*). The knowledge scores of health education at all three time periods: baseline, three-month, six-month caused it to increase continuously with statistically significant difference (p=0.001*). The knowledge scores at baseline had no statistical difference (p=0.631); however, the scores at three-month and six-month had statistically significant difference (p<0.001*), (p<0.001*) respectively. Hence, the effects of six-month aerobic exercise and health education program intervention on body composition to reduce Visceral Fat and Waist Circumference among army male officers. The study suggests that this program integrated the knowledge on health education plus exercise to reduce waist circumference and visceral fat in the intervention group was improved.