FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2004

THE WEIGHT LOSS WARS: ADVANTAGE…HEALTH CLUBS

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A MAJORITY OF AMERICANS ARE TRYING TO LOSE WEIGHT

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Dieting Works, But New Research Proves That Frequent Health Club Exercise Is The Most Successful Weight Loss Strategy

HARTSDALE, N.Y. — A clear majority of the U.S. population (65%) cares enough about its bodyweight to have taken some remedial action in the past year. But since the American desire to lose weight predates the war on obesity, it is not clear if policy-makers, health officials, food companies, journalists, insurance companies and other weight loss warriors are finally beginning to move the behavioral needle.

In a nationwide study of 15,015 Americans conducted in January 2004 by American Sports Data, Inc. (ASD), nearly half the population (49%) said that at some point during 2003, they attempted to lose at least five pounds; another 16% indicated they had made an effort to maintain their weight. But only 20% of all people who tried to manage their weight felt that they were "very" or "extremely" successful — even in the near term. These were findings of the IHRSA/ASD Obesity-Weight Control Report, derived from the SUPERSTUDY® of Sports Participation, an annual tracking study conducted every year since 1988.

Respondents in the nationally representative survey employed a number of weight loss techniques, but the great majority of those who tried to shed bodyweight (80%) kept it simple; they were just more careful about their eating habits. Nearly half (46%) worked out at home, while 38% opted for outdoors exercise. 20% placed their faith in a formal diet, and a similar number (19%) or 24.2 million, embraced health club exercise as a weight loss strategy. But a far greater number (43.2 million) used a gym for other reasons: cardio conditioning, muscle tone, flexibility, physical therapy, or to simply feel energized and refreshed — incentives unrelated to weight loss.

For the sizeable minority of people who did use a gym for that purpose, health club membership apparently confers certain advantages on the weight control process. Club members — especially those who exercise frequently — are far more likely than others to report successful weight loss experiences. 25% of all health club members who attempted to lose weight were "very" or "extremely" successful, compared with only 19% of weight reducers who did not attend a club. For members who exercised at their club at least 100 times throughout the year, the success rate soared to 30%.

"This finding", according to ASD president Harvey Lauer, "is not a statistical fluke." In a 2002 study conducted with different methodology, frequent health club exercisers were highly successful in their quest to lose weight — a result very nearly replicated by the present research.
"And not only is frequent health club exercise the most effective weight loss method, it confers physiological benefits unattainable through passive dieting, such as cardio conditioning and stamina, increased strength, muscle tone, bone density, and flexibility — to name just a few."

Exactly how the gym experience inspires additional motivation or how the mechanics of club exercise enhance weight loss psychology is unclear, but health clubs may have several advantages. People who join clubs have the obvious benefit of positive reinforcement — they receive daily encouragement from other members and staff. But they also have the benefit of negative reinforcement — the "invisible", unspoken, barely palpable peer pressure that is an equally powerful motivator. A more tangible incentive is the conscious need to get our money's worth; and for those who can afford one, the structure and discipline provided by a personal trainer offers a clear edge in the subliminal competition. Clubs also offer direct weight management assistance: weight loss programs, nutritional counseling, fitness evaluation, health education and other programs.

The study also found dieting an effective weight loss strategy: 26% of those who embraced a formal diet were very/extremely successful. Outdoors and Home Exercise were not quite as effective, earning success rates of 21% and 19% respectively. Diet pills proved to be the very worst solution, satisfying only 12% of all weight loss aspirants.

In previous work, ASD has drawn a historic parallel between the present obesity epidemic and the war on smoking. Exactly 40 years after the landmark 1964 Surgeon General's Report, the incidence of adult smoking has been slashed dramatically, and — the current blip in youth behavior notwithstanding — may well be on the road to extinction. Some feel that in the war on obesity, history will be repeated.

Others say that smoking cessation may have been easier. People simply had to stop smoking — an indulgence found eventually to be deadly. In 2004 however, the U.S. population is not yet convinced that overeating can be lethal; nor can people just stop eating — a powerful human instinct which happens also to provide one of life's greatest pleasures. But to level the playing field, overeaters have an antidote unavailable to smokers — physical activity.

"Future medical historians", concludes Lauer, "will see this time as the beginning of an epic struggle, so what happens now is crucial. Although it's unquantifiable, we need to show the American public that the costs of obesity — not just in deaths per year, but in aggregate physical, social and psychological suffering — will exact a higher toll than the moribund practice of smoking."

The current report on Obesity and Weight Control is derived from the Superstudy® of Sports Participation, conducted in January 2004 and based on a nationally representative sample of 15,015 people over the age of 6 who were among 25,000 respondents targeted in a sample drawn from the consumer mail panel of TNS-NFO. 103 sports and activities were measured along 20 demographic, attitudinal and behavioral dimensions. Data were also collected on health club membership, physical fitness, and weight control. This annual tracking study has been conducted by ASD every year since 1987. For more information log onto www.americansportsdata.com.

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