Principles & Practice of Health Evangelism
Chapter 16
Best Weigh: Nutrition & Weight Loss Program
Textbook pages 182-204
Best Weigh is a weight management and nutrition program designed by the author of this book that incorporates the evangelistic elements presented here. Best Weigh incorporates sound nutrition and exercise elements but also incorporates spiritual components. Data collection and analysis validate the principles advocated here. Best Weigh is now owned and distributed by Eric Nelson, MD. See Appendix C for additional details.
A detailed look at Best Weigh is presented here to illustrate the practical ways in which evangelistic principles can be incorporated into a health program.
The Best Weigh weight management component focuses on limiting caloric intake and promoting moderate exercise. Nutrition education focuses on limiting fats, sugars, and flesh foods while at the same time promoting fruits, grains, nuts, and vegetables. Nutritional supplements are discouraged. The Best Weigh program meets once a week for 10 weeks.
A typical program consists of a weigh-in followed by a 30-minute PowerPoint illustrated nutritional lecture. This is followed by a 10-15-minute spiritual presentation by the pastor of the church. This talk is focused on spiritual dynamics behavior change.
The last half of each session takes place in small groups of not more than six participants hosted by two Seventh-day Adventist helpers. These helpers facilitate discussion and decision-making. Specific dietary changes for each participant are discussed and determined. Helpers follow instructions contained in the Best Weigh Helpers Guide. Participants are dismissed to go home from the small groups.
The nutritional information provided in Best Weigh is general in nature and is consistent with the recommendations of the American Dietetic Association and the dietary principles espoused by the Seventh-day Adventist church.
It is preferable for the nutritional lectures to be presented by a health professional who understands the basics of nutrition. Informed laypersons can give the nutritional lectures in the absence of a health professional. The nutritional information is contained in 10 PowerPoint presentations.
Participants are encouraged to avoid snacks between meals including diet soda and gum. Participants are also asked to eliminate one or two food items from the diet that are high in calories and nutritionally questionable. The participant's specific "food to avoid" is allowed in a moderate amount only once a week without penalty.
The exercise recommended in Best Weigh is walking for a minimum 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Bicycling and swimming are acceptable alternatives to walking. Duration is emphasized over pace. A target safety-number for maximum recommended heart rate is calculated by subtracting a participant’s age from 180. This simple calculation is in line with other more complicated methods of calculating an ideal target heart rate. The Best Weigh “safety number” is a bit more restrictive for older individuals and a bit more liberal for younger persons.
Best Weigh is overtly evangelistic because it encourages each participant to develop a new or deeper relationship with God. Best Weigh is designed with the confidence that Jesus provides the power to achieve permanent weight loss and to eat in a healthful manner. The evangelistic components of Best Weigh include daily Bible study, prayer at mealtimes, coming repeatedly to a Seventh-day Adventist church, daily contact with Seventh-day Adventist helpers, and repeated exposure to the pastor of the local church who makes the brief spiritual presentation each week.
A detailed look at Best Weigh is presented here to illustrate the practical ways in which evangelistic principles can be incorporated into a health program.
The Best Weigh weight management component focuses on limiting caloric intake and promoting moderate exercise. Nutrition education focuses on limiting fats, sugars, and flesh foods while at the same time promoting fruits, grains, nuts, and vegetables. Nutritional supplements are discouraged. The Best Weigh program meets once a week for 10 weeks.
A typical program consists of a weigh-in followed by a 30-minute PowerPoint illustrated nutritional lecture. This is followed by a 10-15-minute spiritual presentation by the pastor of the church. This talk is focused on spiritual dynamics behavior change.
The last half of each session takes place in small groups of not more than six participants hosted by two Seventh-day Adventist helpers. These helpers facilitate discussion and decision-making. Specific dietary changes for each participant are discussed and determined. Helpers follow instructions contained in the Best Weigh Helpers Guide. Participants are dismissed to go home from the small groups.
The nutritional information provided in Best Weigh is general in nature and is consistent with the recommendations of the American Dietetic Association and the dietary principles espoused by the Seventh-day Adventist church.
It is preferable for the nutritional lectures to be presented by a health professional who understands the basics of nutrition. Informed laypersons can give the nutritional lectures in the absence of a health professional. The nutritional information is contained in 10 PowerPoint presentations.
Participants are encouraged to avoid snacks between meals including diet soda and gum. Participants are also asked to eliminate one or two food items from the diet that are high in calories and nutritionally questionable. The participant's specific "food to avoid" is allowed in a moderate amount only once a week without penalty.
The exercise recommended in Best Weigh is walking for a minimum 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Bicycling and swimming are acceptable alternatives to walking. Duration is emphasized over pace. A target safety-number for maximum recommended heart rate is calculated by subtracting a participant’s age from 180. This simple calculation is in line with other more complicated methods of calculating an ideal target heart rate. The Best Weigh “safety number” is a bit more restrictive for older individuals and a bit more liberal for younger persons.
Best Weigh is overtly evangelistic because it encourages each participant to develop a new or deeper relationship with God. Best Weigh is designed with the confidence that Jesus provides the power to achieve permanent weight loss and to eat in a healthful manner. The evangelistic components of Best Weigh include daily Bible study, prayer at mealtimes, coming repeatedly to a Seventh-day Adventist church, daily contact with Seventh-day Adventist helpers, and repeated exposure to the pastor of the local church who makes the brief spiritual presentation each week.
Materials and Methods
The materials used in the Best Weigh program consist of a Director’s Manual containing specific instruction on how to organize and conduct the Best Weigh program.
Each participant receives a Best Weigh Workbook. By the end of the program the Workbook contains ten handouts totaling about 100 pages. Each handout summarizes the nutritional lecture material, contains quizzes, exercises, and a New Direction section where participants formalize their commitment to specific, self-determined, dietary changes. Recipes and tips on exercise are included in each handout. The last page is a list of seven Bible verse assignments for each day of the coming week.
The small group leaders are guided by the Best Weigh Helpers Guide. This document contains a copy of the entire Workbook as well as directions on how to conduct small groups. The Helpers Guide also contains all the answers to all the questions, quizzes, and exercises in the Workbook.
The materials include all the forms: The Registration Form, Group Weight Loss Record, Final Session Questionnaire and Follow-up Questionnaires. There are name tags and the Progress Card, and advertising aids, including: a sample brochure, letters to doctors, letters to alumni, newspaper advertisements, bulletin announcements, and other handouts that promote Best Weigh.
Data concerning a person’s compliance are collected on the participant’s Progress Card. Best Weigh data are entered at the bestweigh.us website. Participants and church members designated for data entry enter Best Weigh data into the database. The front and back of the participants' weekly Progress Card are shown below.
Each participant receives a Best Weigh Workbook. By the end of the program the Workbook contains ten handouts totaling about 100 pages. Each handout summarizes the nutritional lecture material, contains quizzes, exercises, and a New Direction section where participants formalize their commitment to specific, self-determined, dietary changes. Recipes and tips on exercise are included in each handout. The last page is a list of seven Bible verse assignments for each day of the coming week.
The small group leaders are guided by the Best Weigh Helpers Guide. This document contains a copy of the entire Workbook as well as directions on how to conduct small groups. The Helpers Guide also contains all the answers to all the questions, quizzes, and exercises in the Workbook.
The materials include all the forms: The Registration Form, Group Weight Loss Record, Final Session Questionnaire and Follow-up Questionnaires. There are name tags and the Progress Card, and advertising aids, including: a sample brochure, letters to doctors, letters to alumni, newspaper advertisements, bulletin announcements, and other handouts that promote Best Weigh.
Data concerning a person’s compliance are collected on the participant’s Progress Card. Best Weigh data are entered at the bestweigh.us website. Participants and church members designated for data entry enter Best Weigh data into the database. The front and back of the participants' weekly Progress Card are shown below.
Progress Card - Front
Progress Card - Back
Each Progress Card contains data collected during one week of the program. Participants keep score of the amount eaten at each meal, between meals snacks, the food to avoid, and the amount of daily exercise.
The progress card also provides a place to record various spiritual parameters. These include scores for prayer, Bible study, and contact with Seventh-day Adventist helpers by phone, in-person, or by texting.
The scores are self-reported estimates of each participant’s compliance with the principles of Best Weigh. The Progress Card also contains an objectively determined Start Weight and End Weight obtained at the weekly, confidential weigh-ins throughout the program.
Data collected on each Progress Card is entered in a cloud-based database accessed through www.bestweigh.us. Individual participants have access to their own data and can enter or modify their own data day by day during the program.
At each local Best Weigh program location, one or more church members are designated as data entry individuals. These church members enter data for people who are not computer literate or who choose not to record their own data into the database. These church members can review the progress of all the participants from that one church location. At the national level the Best Weigh webmaster and the author review all data from all programs.
The progress card also provides a place to record various spiritual parameters. These include scores for prayer, Bible study, and contact with Seventh-day Adventist helpers by phone, in-person, or by texting.
The scores are self-reported estimates of each participant’s compliance with the principles of Best Weigh. The Progress Card also contains an objectively determined Start Weight and End Weight obtained at the weekly, confidential weigh-ins throughout the program.
Data collected on each Progress Card is entered in a cloud-based database accessed through www.bestweigh.us. Individual participants have access to their own data and can enter or modify their own data day by day during the program.
At each local Best Weigh program location, one or more church members are designated as data entry individuals. These church members enter data for people who are not computer literate or who choose not to record their own data into the database. These church members can review the progress of all the participants from that one church location. At the national level the Best Weigh webmaster and the author review all data from all programs.
Study Population
Participation in the national Best Weigh database is optional. Many Best Weigh results are never entered into the national database. The analysis presented here is based on 28 separate Best Weigh programs conducted at various times and places. These 28 Best Weigh programs were conducted in 20 different locations. (Some locations have conducted more than one Best Weigh program.)
Data sets were analyzed for 13 separate sites across Texas, four sites in Florida, and sites in Washington, and Ohio. Other places where Best Weigh programs have also been conducted but data NOT entered into the database include New York, Alabama, Oregon, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and international sites in the UK and Australia.
For the present analysis, there were 524 individual participants. Some participants, over time, attended more than one Best Weigh program. A few participants attended three or four Best Weigh programs. A total of 89 attendees were repeat participants.
In this analysis these repeat participants were included as if they were first time participants. By including repeat participants in this data analysis, we have a total of 613 participants in this study population. There were 113 men (18.4%) and 500 women (81.6%).
An important variable we measured was the Non-Adventist Person Visit (NAPV). A non-Adventist is counted every time he or she comes through the door of the Seventh-day Adventist church. The 28 Best Weigh programs generated a total of 4723 NAPV. This represents 4723 separate visits to the church by people who are not members of the church.
The NAPV is an important evangelistic measure. People do not become members of the church unless they become familiar with and are comfortable coming to the local SDA church. If this important step can be achieved in a health evangelism program, a big step toward baptism has taken place.
The NAPV is a useful denominator in determining economic value of a given program. In a recent Best Weigh conducted at the Crowley Seventh-day Adventist church the cost of the program was divided by the NAPV, and it was discovered that the cost per NAPV was $2.36. A Health Evangelism program is a highly cost-effective method for bringing non-Adventists into the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Attendance at many weight management programs drops off after the first few weeks. Best Weigh is no exception. The attrition rate is 11-15% for each of the first three sessions. At the beginning of the 4th session 60%-80% of the original audience remains. While occasional subsequent sessions are missed by a few individuals after the 4th session, the group largely remains stable throughout the remainder of the program. It has been noted that the attrition rate is higher for larger programs. The retention rate is greater in smaller programs.
An intake questionnaire administered at the first session obtained baseline demographic data and determined some of the spiritual practices of the participants. Not all questions were answered by all participants, and therefore some of the totals do not equal the total population who attended Best Weigh
The distribution of ages of men and women who attended the Best Weigh programs in this analysis is presented in Table 1. Best Weigh draws the most men and women in the 51-60 age groups but a number of the very young and very old are also represented.
Data sets were analyzed for 13 separate sites across Texas, four sites in Florida, and sites in Washington, and Ohio. Other places where Best Weigh programs have also been conducted but data NOT entered into the database include New York, Alabama, Oregon, Florida, Illinois, Michigan, Texas, and international sites in the UK and Australia.
For the present analysis, there were 524 individual participants. Some participants, over time, attended more than one Best Weigh program. A few participants attended three or four Best Weigh programs. A total of 89 attendees were repeat participants.
In this analysis these repeat participants were included as if they were first time participants. By including repeat participants in this data analysis, we have a total of 613 participants in this study population. There were 113 men (18.4%) and 500 women (81.6%).
An important variable we measured was the Non-Adventist Person Visit (NAPV). A non-Adventist is counted every time he or she comes through the door of the Seventh-day Adventist church. The 28 Best Weigh programs generated a total of 4723 NAPV. This represents 4723 separate visits to the church by people who are not members of the church.
The NAPV is an important evangelistic measure. People do not become members of the church unless they become familiar with and are comfortable coming to the local SDA church. If this important step can be achieved in a health evangelism program, a big step toward baptism has taken place.
The NAPV is a useful denominator in determining economic value of a given program. In a recent Best Weigh conducted at the Crowley Seventh-day Adventist church the cost of the program was divided by the NAPV, and it was discovered that the cost per NAPV was $2.36. A Health Evangelism program is a highly cost-effective method for bringing non-Adventists into the Seventh-day Adventist Church.
Attendance at many weight management programs drops off after the first few weeks. Best Weigh is no exception. The attrition rate is 11-15% for each of the first three sessions. At the beginning of the 4th session 60%-80% of the original audience remains. While occasional subsequent sessions are missed by a few individuals after the 4th session, the group largely remains stable throughout the remainder of the program. It has been noted that the attrition rate is higher for larger programs. The retention rate is greater in smaller programs.
An intake questionnaire administered at the first session obtained baseline demographic data and determined some of the spiritual practices of the participants. Not all questions were answered by all participants, and therefore some of the totals do not equal the total population who attended Best Weigh
The distribution of ages of men and women who attended the Best Weigh programs in this analysis is presented in Table 1. Best Weigh draws the most men and women in the 51-60 age groups but a number of the very young and very old are also represented.
The marital status was reported by 455 participants. This is displayed in Table 2.
Church attendance prior to attending Best Weigh is one marker of religious conviction. Since Best Weigh has a strong spiritual component, it was hypothesized that Best Weigh might only be an attractive weight loss program for those who attend church regularly.
The spiritual emphasis found in Best Weigh does not appear to be a barrier to attendance for the unchurched population. Over 40% of Best Weigh participants do not regularly attend church. This would indicate that those with weight problems are comfortable attending a weight loss program that has a spiritual component. This is especially true if the spiritual emphasis is focused on overweight and obesity. The custom of church attendance of participants prior to taking Best Weigh is outlined in Table 3.
The spiritual emphasis found in Best Weigh does not appear to be a barrier to attendance for the unchurched population. Over 40% of Best Weigh participants do not regularly attend church. This would indicate that those with weight problems are comfortable attending a weight loss program that has a spiritual component. This is especially true if the spiritual emphasis is focused on overweight and obesity. The custom of church attendance of participants prior to taking Best Weigh is outlined in Table 3.
Best Weigh also determined the Bible study habits of participants before attending Best Weigh. The hypothesis was that Best Weigh might not be well attended by individuals who did not have regular Bible study habits. This turned out to not be a significant barrier. Over half the people who attend Best Weigh do not regularly read the Bible. These results are shown in Table 4
The prayer practices of those who attend Best Weigh were determined at the beginning of the program. It was thought that Best Weigh might only attract people who had a religious bias and who already had strong spiritual practices. More than 40% of those who choose to attend Best Weigh do not regularly pray. These results are shown in Table 5.
It was desirable to determine how experienced the Best Weigh participants were with previous attempts to lose weight. Obese individuals are open to trying multiple different approaches to weight loss. Nearly two thirds of Best Weigh participants have previously tried to lose weight. These characteristics are presented in Table 6.
An attempt was made to determine the degree of confidence or optimism Best Weigh participants had, that the current attempt to lose weight was going to be successful. How confident were the participants that they would weigh less than they currently do two years from this current Best Weigh program? Nearly 84% of participants were confident that they would not weigh the same as they do now in two years’ time.
The 16% who felt they would probably weigh the same in two years may have failed multiple times at keeping the weight off. This may be a pessimistic yet realistic view of the difficulty of controlling appetite by human ability alone. This presents an opportunity to especially encourage the discouraged that God provides help to those who are weak. Best Weigh may be particularly effective for this group of discouraged people. The results are shown in Table 7.
The 16% who felt they would probably weigh the same in two years may have failed multiple times at keeping the weight off. This may be a pessimistic yet realistic view of the difficulty of controlling appetite by human ability alone. This presents an opportunity to especially encourage the discouraged that God provides help to those who are weak. Best Weigh may be particularly effective for this group of discouraged people. The results are shown in Table 7.
Results
The data analyzed in this paper are limited to those who attended at least 7 sessions of Best Weigh. Attending 7 sessions indicates a high level of commitment to the program and a serious attempt to utilize Best Weigh principles in losing weight. The figures in the tables below are standardized so the comparisons are of 133 individuals in each column. The numbers are of the number of days on which individuals reported that particular score during the 10 weeks of the program
Each component of the Best Weigh program was found to enhance weight loss. In the analysis that follows, the adherence to Best Weigh recommendations is examined in 133 persons who lost 1-9 pounds during the program and in “133” of those who lost 10 or more pounds during the program. The analysis examines each program component in the order it appears on the Progress Card.
Meal scores are based on an eyeball assessment of the amount of food on the plate at mealtime. Second helpings are discouraged. There was no weighing or measuring of foods. There was no counting of calories. The less food eaten at a meal the higher the score.
Here is a comparison of those who lost 0-9 pounds and those who lost 10 pounds or more. Those who lost less weight were 44% more likely to eat the “Same as usual” at breakfast compared to those who lost 10 or more pounds. Best Weigh encourages eating a hearty breakfast. It was interesting to find that those who ate less than usual for breakfast lost the most weight.
Each component of the Best Weigh program was found to enhance weight loss. In the analysis that follows, the adherence to Best Weigh recommendations is examined in 133 persons who lost 1-9 pounds during the program and in “133” of those who lost 10 or more pounds during the program. The analysis examines each program component in the order it appears on the Progress Card.
Meal scores are based on an eyeball assessment of the amount of food on the plate at mealtime. Second helpings are discouraged. There was no weighing or measuring of foods. There was no counting of calories. The less food eaten at a meal the higher the score.
Here is a comparison of those who lost 0-9 pounds and those who lost 10 pounds or more. Those who lost less weight were 44% more likely to eat the “Same as usual” at breakfast compared to those who lost 10 or more pounds. Best Weigh encourages eating a hearty breakfast. It was interesting to find that those who ate less than usual for breakfast lost the most weight.
Here are those who ate “75% less” for breakfast. Those who lost more weight were more than twice as likely to eat “75% less” for breakfast.
Those who lost the most weight were three time more likely to eat “75% less” for the evening meal compared with those who lost less than 10 pounds. Clearly, weight loss is related to the amount of food eaten at mealtime. the three graphs below show this "dose-dependent" response. Eat Less = Lose More.
The Best Weigh program encourages participants to avoid all snacking between meals. We include diet drinks, chewing gum, and even “healthy” snacks in this recommendation. This figure shows that those who lost more weight were 50% more likely to avoid all snacks. Snacks represent extra calories and work against losing weight.
There is a time to eat and a time not to eat. Overweight and obese individuals need to learn to deny the clamor for flavor in the mouth that occurs at various times during the day. Water is the best between meal snack. Best Weigh recommends 6-8 glasses of water between meals each day.
Many Best Weigh participants continue to eat snacks. It is clear from the next figure that snacking between meals keeps you from losing weight. This shows that those who lost less weight were 42% more likely to eat “Two Snacks” per day. This is another way to show that calories count whenever you eat them.
Many Best Weigh participants continue to eat snacks. It is clear from the next figure that snacking between meals keeps you from losing weight. This shows that those who lost less weight were 42% more likely to eat “Two Snacks” per day. This is another way to show that calories count whenever you eat them.
Best Weigh advocates “giving up” one or more foods that contribute to obesity. It is recommended that people give up things that are high in fat or sugar that are consumed excessively on most of the days of the week. Participants are allowed to have these “foods to avoid” once a week in moderation without penalty.
Many people chose to give up desserts while others chose to give up butter, margarine, or salad dressings. These choices are formalized in writing on the first session of Best Weigh. Those who lost more weight were 32% more likely to stay away from their “Food to Avoid” than those who lost less weight.
Many people chose to give up desserts while others chose to give up butter, margarine, or salad dressings. These choices are formalized in writing on the first session of Best Weigh. Those who lost more weight were 32% more likely to stay away from their “Food to Avoid” than those who lost less weight.
The next figure shows that those who give into temptation are much less likely to lose weight. Here we compare those who had two servings of the “Food to Avoid” during the week in addition to the one allowed. Those who lost less weight were nearly 50% more likely to consume the “Food to Avoid” compared with those who lost more weight.
Exercise is an important component of any weight loss program. The extra exercise burns off a few more calories. Exercise also maintains a normal if not slightly enhanced metabolic rate that keeps those pounds coming off even though calories have been restricted in the diet.
Best Weigh recommends walking a minimum of 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Extra points are gained for walking 45 minutes or an hour a day. Best Weigh demonstrates that the more you walk the more weight you lose. Those who lost more weight were 23% more likely to walk the recommended 30 minutes per day.
Best Weigh recommends walking a minimum of 30 minutes, 5 days a week. Extra points are gained for walking 45 minutes or an hour a day. Best Weigh demonstrates that the more you walk the more weight you lose. Those who lost more weight were 23% more likely to walk the recommended 30 minutes per day.
Those who lost more weight were 64% more likely to walk for the bonus 45 minutes than those who lost less weight.
Not surprisingly, those who lost more weight were nearly twice as likely to walk for one full hour compared to those who lost less weight.
Up to this point, the results of Best Weigh are exactly what you would expect from a weight management program. If you eat less and exercise more, you will lose weight. The less you eat and the more you exercise the more weight you will lose.
Best Weigh is a health evangelism program. What has never been examined before in a Seventh-day Adventist program are variables that pertain to the evangelistic components of the program including prayer, Bible study, and frequent contact with Seventh-day Adventist helpers. These data will be examined next.
Prayer is an important component of Best Weigh. Participants are encouraged to pray at mealtimes. The prayers are in part, expressions of gratitude for God’s provision of food, but the prayers are also requests for deliverance from an unhealthy appetite.
In the 28 Best Weigh programs reported here, a total of 13,197 prayers were offered. The 87 SDA participants offered 1,953 prayers (average 22 prayers/SDA participant). The 526 Non-SDA participants offered 11,244 prayers (average 21 prayers/ Non-SDA participant). Best Weigh is a program that results in much prayer.
Prayer results in more weight loss. Those who lost more weight were 25% more likely to pray three times a day compared to those who lost less weight.
Best Weigh is a health evangelism program. What has never been examined before in a Seventh-day Adventist program are variables that pertain to the evangelistic components of the program including prayer, Bible study, and frequent contact with Seventh-day Adventist helpers. These data will be examined next.
Prayer is an important component of Best Weigh. Participants are encouraged to pray at mealtimes. The prayers are in part, expressions of gratitude for God’s provision of food, but the prayers are also requests for deliverance from an unhealthy appetite.
In the 28 Best Weigh programs reported here, a total of 13,197 prayers were offered. The 87 SDA participants offered 1,953 prayers (average 22 prayers/SDA participant). The 526 Non-SDA participants offered 11,244 prayers (average 21 prayers/ Non-SDA participant). Best Weigh is a program that results in much prayer.
Prayer results in more weight loss. Those who lost more weight were 25% more likely to pray three times a day compared to those who lost less weight.
Those who lost less weight were 22% more likely to pray only once a day.
Best Weigh encourages daily Bible study. Specific scripture assignments are made for each day of the program. These Bible verses have a spiritual application to weight management. Each participant is encouraged to analyze the Bible verses assigned to discover this specific application of the Bible to the issue of weight loss.
In the 28 Best Weigh programs, the Bible was studied 11,224 times by all participants. The 87 SDA participants were responsible for 1,724 (average 20 times/SDA participant) of these studies and the Non-SDA participants studied the Bible 9,500 times (average 18 times/participant).
Daily Bible study is an important contributor to successful weight loss. Those who lost more weight were 21% more likely to study their Bible study assignment for the day compared with those who lost less weight.
In the 28 Best Weigh programs, the Bible was studied 11,224 times by all participants. The 87 SDA participants were responsible for 1,724 (average 20 times/SDA participant) of these studies and the Non-SDA participants studied the Bible 9,500 times (average 18 times/participant).
Daily Bible study is an important contributor to successful weight loss. Those who lost more weight were 21% more likely to study their Bible study assignment for the day compared with those who lost less weight.
Best Weigh participants are encouraged to call Seventh-day Adventist helpers on a daily basis to report progress, whether good or bad, and to receive encouragement.
These helpers are not professional counselors, but they are given some instruction on phone etiquette and have been prepared by reading the chapters, “In Contact with Others,” and “Helping the Tempted,” from the Ministry of Healing by Ellen G. White.
In the 28 Best Weigh programs a total of 6,511 phone calls occurred between participants and the Seventh-day Adventist helpers. The 526 Non-SDA participants made 5,403 calls to SDA helpers for encouragement (average of 10 calls per participant). The 87 SDA participants made 1,108 calls to SDA helpers for encouragement (average 12.7 calls per participant).
Calling helpers not only creates friendships with those who come to the church for help, but this frequent contact also results in increased weight loss. Those who lost more weight were 50% more likely to contact their SDA helper than those who lost less weight.
These helpers are not professional counselors, but they are given some instruction on phone etiquette and have been prepared by reading the chapters, “In Contact with Others,” and “Helping the Tempted,” from the Ministry of Healing by Ellen G. White.
In the 28 Best Weigh programs a total of 6,511 phone calls occurred between participants and the Seventh-day Adventist helpers. The 526 Non-SDA participants made 5,403 calls to SDA helpers for encouragement (average of 10 calls per participant). The 87 SDA participants made 1,108 calls to SDA helpers for encouragement (average 12.7 calls per participant).
Calling helpers not only creates friendships with those who come to the church for help, but this frequent contact also results in increased weight loss. Those who lost more weight were 50% more likely to contact their SDA helper than those who lost less weight.
Measuring the impact of prayer, Bible study, and contact with church members on weight loss expands our understanding of behavior change. To the extent that health programs conducted by Seventh-day Adventists omit evangelistic components, just to that extent they are limiting the successful outcome of the participants. To the extent that health programs conducted by Seventh-day Adventists omit evangelistic components, just to that extent they are secular programs that merely duplicate secular programs that are widely available.
Discussion
A health program is designed to modify the lifestyle of individuals so that improved health and longer life are the result. An evangelistic program is designed to bring eternal life to those who are dead in trespasses and sin. Those who initially benefit from a secular health program will still die. Those who are saved through a relationship with Christ will live forever.
A health evangelism program is designed to successfully and permanently improve the lifestyle through the power that a relationship with Christ brings into the life. Health evangelism is an intensely practical application of Christian principles to the harmful habits and addictions that shorten life. Health evangelism programs are usually focused on a single problem and should be seen as examples of problem-specific evangelism.
The Best Weigh program has several components that qualify it as a unique example of health evangelism. These are:
The attrition rate of any health program is of concern. Several factors affect drop-out rates. One factor is the low cost of the program. Another factor in Best Weigh may be the offense of the gospel.
An expensive program always has a lower attrition rate than an inexpensive program. A high-cost program selects from the public those who are highly motivated enough to invest a large sum of money to achieve success. An expensive program serves a much smaller portion of the problematic population than an inexpensive program. An inexpensive program such as Best Weigh attracts larger numbers of participants, but because a person has so little invested in the program drop-outs are more likely to occur.
Best Weigh is also an overtly spiritual program. Some are offended with the mention of God and the help that Jesus brings to the person struggling with appetite issues. Fortunately, there are dozens of Godless weight management programs a person can choose to attend if they do not want to be connected with the God of the universe as presented in the Best Weigh program.
There are several unanswered questions regarding Best Weigh and all health evangelism programs that are conducted using the principles of health evangelism outlined in this book. These questions can only be answered if more complete and extensive data collection becomes a component of both health evangelism programs and traditional evangelistic series.
One unanswered question is that of baptisms. Will a person who attends Best Weigh eventually be baptized? One step indicating an increased potential for baptism would be an individual’s susceptibility to attend traditional evangelistic meetings.
There is some preliminary evidence that Best Weigh participants are much more likely to attend traditional evangelistic meetings than the general public. When presented with advertising and personal invitations to attend a series of traditional evangelistic meetings at the same church where Best Weigh was conducted, Best Weigh alumni have responded in higher numbers than those who simply receive advertisements at home in the mail.
This is because the Best Weigh alumni have already been to the church several times and have become friends with several Seventh-day Adventist helpers. Best Weigh alumni know that the church puts on quality programming. Many have found a new or deeper relationship with God because of the spiritual elements in the Best Weigh program.
Will Best Weigh alumni be more likely to be baptized after attending evangelistic meetings? Will Best Weigh alumni be more likely to become active members of the church? Will Best Weigh alumni have a higher retention rate a year after baptism than newly baptized members who didn’t have a multi-week exposure to SDAs in a health evangelism program such as Best Weigh?
These questions can be answered with further research. Efforts should be made to discover the most efficient (not necessarily the quickest) methods of evangelism in our health conscious but increasingly gluttonous society. Health evangelism will receive a broader endorsement from the church when it is shown to be an effective activity initiating new believers into the family of God.
A health evangelism program is designed to successfully and permanently improve the lifestyle through the power that a relationship with Christ brings into the life. Health evangelism is an intensely practical application of Christian principles to the harmful habits and addictions that shorten life. Health evangelism programs are usually focused on a single problem and should be seen as examples of problem-specific evangelism.
The Best Weigh program has several components that qualify it as a unique example of health evangelism. These are:
- Best Weigh is conducted in Seventh-day Adventist Churches.
- Best Weigh utilizes daily Bible study as an adjunct to diet and exercise.
- Best Weigh recommends prayer three times a day to seek God’s help in controlling the appetite.
- Best Weigh brings the public in contact with a Seventh-day Adventist pastor who has a short homily at each session.
- Best Weigh creates an interface between the public and Seventh-day Adventist church members who bring encouragement and support to those seeking help with weight management.
- Best Weigh encourages follow-up visits in participant’s homes at three-month intervals for a period of at least one year. Many people inquire regarding the beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist church in the privacy of their own homes.
- Best Weigh introduces people to 11 of the 28 fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist church.
- Best Weigh is scientifically sound. A health evangelism program that is based on sound scientific principles strengthens the credibility of our spiritual message. Sound science contributes to confidence in the soundness of our spirituality.
- Best Weigh is economical. The low cost of Best Weigh is quickly perceived by the non-Seventh-day Adventists as being a great return on their investment. They are refreshed to see that the program is not driven by a profit motive.
- Best Weigh participants sense a spirit of sacrifice and volunteerism (servanthood) on the part of the health professionals, church members and pastor. This contributes to the evangelistic potential of the program.
The attrition rate of any health program is of concern. Several factors affect drop-out rates. One factor is the low cost of the program. Another factor in Best Weigh may be the offense of the gospel.
An expensive program always has a lower attrition rate than an inexpensive program. A high-cost program selects from the public those who are highly motivated enough to invest a large sum of money to achieve success. An expensive program serves a much smaller portion of the problematic population than an inexpensive program. An inexpensive program such as Best Weigh attracts larger numbers of participants, but because a person has so little invested in the program drop-outs are more likely to occur.
Best Weigh is also an overtly spiritual program. Some are offended with the mention of God and the help that Jesus brings to the person struggling with appetite issues. Fortunately, there are dozens of Godless weight management programs a person can choose to attend if they do not want to be connected with the God of the universe as presented in the Best Weigh program.
There are several unanswered questions regarding Best Weigh and all health evangelism programs that are conducted using the principles of health evangelism outlined in this book. These questions can only be answered if more complete and extensive data collection becomes a component of both health evangelism programs and traditional evangelistic series.
One unanswered question is that of baptisms. Will a person who attends Best Weigh eventually be baptized? One step indicating an increased potential for baptism would be an individual’s susceptibility to attend traditional evangelistic meetings.
There is some preliminary evidence that Best Weigh participants are much more likely to attend traditional evangelistic meetings than the general public. When presented with advertising and personal invitations to attend a series of traditional evangelistic meetings at the same church where Best Weigh was conducted, Best Weigh alumni have responded in higher numbers than those who simply receive advertisements at home in the mail.
This is because the Best Weigh alumni have already been to the church several times and have become friends with several Seventh-day Adventist helpers. Best Weigh alumni know that the church puts on quality programming. Many have found a new or deeper relationship with God because of the spiritual elements in the Best Weigh program.
Will Best Weigh alumni be more likely to be baptized after attending evangelistic meetings? Will Best Weigh alumni be more likely to become active members of the church? Will Best Weigh alumni have a higher retention rate a year after baptism than newly baptized members who didn’t have a multi-week exposure to SDAs in a health evangelism program such as Best Weigh?
These questions can be answered with further research. Efforts should be made to discover the most efficient (not necessarily the quickest) methods of evangelism in our health conscious but increasingly gluttonous society. Health evangelism will receive a broader endorsement from the church when it is shown to be an effective activity initiating new believers into the family of God.