factors (6 demographic factors were examined).
This means that in order to adequately test the validity of Null Hypothesis 2, a total of 14 times 6 or 84 separate analyses had to be conducted. Similarly, to test Null Hypothesis 1, it was necessary to compare for differences in weight gain for each of the demographic factors, thus necessitating that at least 6 comparative analyses be conducted to test the hypothesis.
The purpose of this study was to expand the existing work on the relation of demographic factors to weight gain and the effects of weight gain by examining whether findings generalize to a sample of subjects not often studied in the original work. To understand the significance of this research it is necessary to first understand the serious health consequences of obesity. As Bensley and Sullivan (1988) have noted:
Obese persons have three times the normal incidence of high blood pressure and diabetes, an increased risk of heart disease, a sh
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