4 questions | Applied Sciences homework help

1. Prospective clients should receive a detailed list of all fees and costs.

A study of 31 people whose photograph and testi- monial had appeared in newspaper ads for a weight-loss clinic found that 20 months later, only eight (26%) had remained within 5 pounds of their target weight. The clinic, a Midwestern affiliate of a national commercial weight-loss program, offered behavioral education with a prepackaged food regimen. The researchers added that their data should be interpreted cautiously because their findings did not reflect the experience of clients who never met their weight-loss goals.101 In 2003, Tsai and Wadden102 evaluated the Web sites and reported results of Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig, Health Management Resources, OPTIFAST, Medfast/ Take Shape for Life, eDiets.com, TOPS, and Overeat- ers Anonymous. The researchers concluded: “With the exception of 1 trial of Weight Watchers, the evidence to support the use of the major commercial and self-help weight loss programs is suboptimal.” They also ex- pressed concern that because drop-out rates were high, some of the published studies are probably a best-case scenario. Low-Calorie Disaster100 In 1990 Carol Householder of Flagstaff, Arizona, testi- fied to a Congressional subcommittee on behalf of her husband, Michael, who had a doctoral degree and had been a college engineering professor. In 1985, at age 44, Michael was 6 feet tall and weighed 215 pounds. Having gained 30 pounds during the previous 5 years, he wanted to weigh approximately 180. He considered himself to be in good physical condition. He had biked, jogged, swum, played racquetball, skied, and, earlier that summer, had hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim (25 miles). Having seen ads stating that the Nutri/Sys- tem diet succeeds where other diets fail, he joined the Nutri/System program and followed its 1000-calorie- per-day diet. In about 7 weeks, he lost approximately 28 pounds. A few days later, after jogging, he passed out for a minute or two. He discussed this with his Nutri/ System adviser, who said he should eat more fruit. A week later, only 1 pound short of his goal, he suffered a cardiac arrest while returning from a jog. Although resuscitated by paramedics, he remained in a coma, hooked to life support systems, for the following 70 hours. His attending physician said that the cardiac arrest had been triggered by potassium deficiency and borderline protein deficiency. When Michael awakened, both his long- and short-term memory had been erased. He didn’t know his name. He couldn’t recognize his family, and it took months for him to begin over again. He was just a frac- tion of his former self, permanently unable to work and requiring supervision of all daily activities. In order to take care of him and their three children, Carol was forced to leave her job. Personal Glimpse Part Three Nutrition and Fitness254 Government Investigations During 1990 a U.S. House of Representatives sub- committee, chaired by Rep. Ron Wyden (D-OR), held two hearings focused on deception and fraud in the diet industry.100 Testimony indicated that some commercial programs referred to their staff as “certified” nutrition counselors, behavior therapists, and the like, even though the only certification they had was by the company offering the program. One woman described how her husband had suffered a cardiac arrest as a result of a poorly supervised program (see Personal Glimpse box on page 253). During the mid-1990s the FTC settled enforcement actions against Diet Center, Jenny Craig International, Nutri/System, Physicians Weight Loss Centers, Weight Watchers International, and 13 other marketers of com- mercial weight-loss programs after charging them with (a) making deceptive and unsubstantiated claims about their results, (b) failing to fully disclose costs, and/or (c) using testimonials that did not reflect the typical user’s experience. The settlements included four requirements: