Impact of 12 Weeks Walking Exercise and Modified Diet Interventions on the Anthropometric Measurements and Blood Lipid Profiles among Female Employees at Al Baha University

Background: Elevated serum lipid and lipoprotein levels are a sign of dyslipidemia, which is also linked to overweight and obesity. Physical activity can be an important intervention to achieve desired body-weight regulation. However, physical activity has a modest impact on short-term weight loss in overweight and obese adults. Aim:  To assess the effect of 12 weeks of walking exercise and modified diet interventions on the anthropometric measurements and blood lipid profiles among El Baha University employees. Subjects and Methods: Design: A quasi-experimental design was used to conduct this study. Setting: The study was conducted on female employees at the Applied Medical Science Faculty Al Baha University Female Sector.  Subject: A purposive sampling technique was used to choose the initial sample consisting of 40 female employee participants who lived in Al Baha. Participants were randomly assigned to 2 intervention groups (a walking group (n = 20) and a modified diet group (n = 20). Both interventions spanned 12 weeks. Tools: Two tools were used for data collection; Tool (I) a structured interview questionnaire, which consisted of two parts (1) female employee's demographic data; (2) female employee's anthropometric measurements, and Tool (II) Blood lipid profiles measurement tool. Results: The current study found that while walking activity and a modified diet significantly reduced body mass and fat tissue, they increased lean body mass. At week 12, there was a 3% decrease in WHR, a 6% BMI drop, a 19% FB drop, a 15% FM drop, an 8% WC drop, a 6% HC drop, and an average 5 kg drop in body weight among the walking exercise participants. There were 8 kg and 8, 25, 20, 6, 2, and 7% declines in the MD, respectively. The MD's post-intervention levels of TC and TG fell within the acceptable range. Conclusion: 12 weeks of walking exercise and modified diet interventions were effective in improving the anthropometric measurements and blood lipid profiles among El Baha University employees and in the modified diet group they were more pronounced. Recommendations: Implementation of walking exercise and modified diet interventions for the employees to modify their lifestyle. Routine screening for employees to detect abnormal blood lipid profiles early and to increase their awareness among employees is recommended. Further research is needed about the effect of combined modified diet intervention and walking exercise on preventing obesity and lipid disorders among employees.