Diet and Exercise Therapy’s Effectiveness
Introduction
Obesity is a major public health problem that kills more people in the United States yearly than breast and colon cancer combined (Patterson, Urbach, & Swanstrom, 2003, p. 379). Obesity impacts an organism’s primary systems, such as the cardiovascular, urogenital, reproductive, and so on. Morbid obesity can be treated using various methods, including surgical interventions, pharmacological therapy, and lifestyle and dietary changes. Patterson et al. (2003) compare the efficacy of diet and exercise therapy versus laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery in treating morbidly obese patients with a BMI greater than 40.
According to Patterson et al. (2003), there were insufficient quantitative clinical trials to compare the efficacy of conventional lifestyle change therapy, including diet and exercise, with the outcomes of bariatric surgical intervention. Finding a more efficient weight-loss method would assist many patients with significant obesity in increasing their life expectancy and living healthier lives. In the first two pages of the study, the authors discuss the significance of the research problem. First, they explain the condition’s prevalence and the threats it poses. For example, Patterson et al. (2003) state that “more than 25% of American adults are obese, and the percentage is rising.” Obesity is responsible for an estimated 300,000 deaths in the United States (US) each year” (p. 379). The authors also mention obesity-related health complications, such as type II diabetes, cardiac disease, hypertension, urinary stress incontinence, infertility, and degenerative joint disease (Patterson et al., 2003, p. 379).
According to Patterson et al. (2003), even though proper therapy helps patients lose weight, it is still unclear which method is more effective in the long run due to a lack of sufficient clinical trials: “randomized controlled trials of medical versus surgical therapy for morbid obesity are rare; in fact, we are only aware of one” (p. 380). The study’s goal was to conduct a comparative quantitative analysis of the two treatment methods – diet and exercise therapy versus laparoscopic Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery – by evaluating short-term weight loss and relative life expectancy figures following the intervention. The authors aimed to answer several research questions, such as “Which method achieves better short-term results?” “Which method provides long-term results?” and “Which method allows for improved patients’ health and life expectancy overall?” The authors’ research questions aligned with the study’s goal and scope.
