URBANA, Ill. — People living in rural areas are at greater risk for obesity than the general population, and they often have limited access to healthy, affordable food, physical activity facilities, public transportation, and healthcare institutions. Weight loss interventions are more successful with support from a dietitian, but many rural residents do not have preventive care providers nearby.
A research team at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign developed an online weight management program that provides personalized assistance from a registered dietitian. In a new study, they collaborated with Illinois Extension to test the program’s efficacy among residents of rural Illinois.
“EMPOWER is a new iteration of the Individualized Dietary Improvement Program (iDip), an in-person platform that includes nutrition education and lifestyle coaching. We developed a web application that allows people to experience the whole program online, enabling us to better reach underserved populations,” said lead author Ashleigh Oliveira, a doctoral student in the Division of Nutritional Sciences, part of the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at Illinois.
The program’s main feature is the MealPlot web application, which provides tools for participants to monitor their weight and food intake. While other weight loss apps typically measure caloric content, MealPlot focuses on fiber and protein density. This helps people consume meals that provide a greater sense of satiation with lower caloric intake, ensuring nutrient needs for safe weight loss are met..
Read the full article from the College of ACES.
University of Illinois Extension develops educational programs, extends knowledge, and builds partnerships to support people, communities, and their environments as part of the state's land-grant institution. Extension serves as the leading public outreach effort for University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences in all 102 Illinois counties through a network of 27 multi-county units and over 700 staff statewide. Extension’s mission is responsive to eight strategic priorities — community, economy, environment, food and agriculture, health, partnerships, technology and discovery, and workforce excellence — that are served through six program areas — 4-H youth development, agriculture and agribusiness, community and economic development, family and consumer science, integrated health disparities, and natural resources, environment, and energy.