Medium- to high-intensity physical activity counseling
also resulted in small changes in self-reported
physical activity (an increase of about 40 minutes per
week). Evidence suggests that even low-intensity dietary
counseling results in moderate increases in fruit and
vegetable intake (up to 2 servings a day) and small decreases
in dietary fat intake (about 1.5% decrease in
energy intake from total fat). Evidence for low-intensity
physical counseling interventions for increasing selfreported
physical activity was mixed.
Evidence for maintenance of any behavioral or
physiologic effects beyond 12 months was very limited.
The interventions with significant benefit beyond 12
months were all high-intensity counseling interventions
with group, phone, or mail contact throughout the trial.
Most trials for high-intensity interventions that had
follow-up beyond 12 months showed persistent beneficial
changes in adiposity and lipid levels (but not blood
pressure), as well as improvements in self-reported behavioral
outcomes.