Intervention Effects on Health Promoting Behaviors and Factors Influencing Long-Term Behavior Change

"The Healthy YOU Program is an 8-week virtual group intervention designed to help participants make lasting health behavior changes, focusing on diet and physical activity. Delivered via confidential Zoom sessions, it offers flexibility and support in a group setting. Participants engage in facilitated discussions, interactive activities, and expert guidance.~Participants receive a structured curriculum with a printed workbook, covering evidence-based topics like nutrition, exercise, and well-being. Learning methods include:~Weekly Newsletters: Provide health tips, resources, and reflections to support behavior change.~Facilitated Group Discussions: Live sessions to share experiences, ask questions, and support each other.~Applied Activities: Hands-on tasks like meal planning and goal-setting to build confidence.~Demonstrations: Live sessions on healthy cooking, home exercises, and overcoming barriers.~The program encourages goal setting, progress tracking, and self-regulation."

The standard of care will involve providing participants with 8 weeks of nutrition information through printed handouts. These handouts will be generic, similar to materials typically provided by healthcare providers or available on public-facing health/nutrition websites. While they will cover the same topics as the experimental group, the handouts will contain only basic, publicly available nutritional information and will not include guidance for application. These handouts are also included in the Healthy YOU curriculum as background material for weekly class preparation. Participants will be instructed to review and utilize the handout information in a self-paced manner over the 8-week period.