Journal
PLOS ONE
Volume 13, Issue 8, Pages -Publisher
PUBLIC LIBRARY SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0202072
Keywords
-
Categories
Funding
- National Institute for Health Research School for Primary Care Research (NIHR SPCR)
- NIHR Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care Oxford at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust (NIHR CLAHRC Oxford)
- NIHR SPCR
- NIHR CLAHRC Oxford
- NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC)
- University of Oxford
- UK Centre for Tobacco and Alcohol Studies, a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence
- British Heart Foundation
- Cancer Research UK
- Economic and Social Research Council
- Medical Research Council
- Department of Health under UK Clinical Research Collaboration
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background Though many overweight and obese adults attempt to lose weight without formal support, little is known about the strategies used in self-directed weight loss attempts. We set out to assess cognitive and behavioural strategies for weight loss and their associations with weight change. Methods Prospective, web-based cohort study of overweight UK adults (BMI <= 25kg/m(2)) trying to lose weight through behaviour change. Strategy use was assessed using the OxFAB questionnaire and evaluated (1) at the domain level, (2) through exploratory factor analysis, and (3) in a model of strategies deemed a priori to be essential to weight management. Associations with weight change at 3 months were tested using linear regression. Results 486 participants answered all questions; 194 reported weight at baseline and at 3 months (mean weight change -3.3kg (SD 4.1)). Greater weight loss was significantly associated with the motivational support domain (-2.4kg, 95% CI -4.4 to -0.4), dietary impulse control (from factor analysis) (-0.6kg, 95% Cl -1.1 to -0.03), and weight loss planning and monitoring (from factor analysis) (-1.3kg, 95% Cl -2.0 to -0.5). Higher scores in the model of essential behavioural strategies were significantly associated with greater weight loss (compared to participants using 6 or fewer of the 9 strategies, using 7 or more of the 9 strategies was associated with a 2.13kg greater weight loss (SE 0.58, p<0.001)). Conclusions Despite heterogeneity in the strategies employed for weight loss, coherent patterns of behaviours emerged for individual participants, some of which were associated with greater weight loss, including strategies relating to dietary impulse control, weight loss planning and monitoring, motivational support, information seeking and self-monitoring. Trials could test the effect of promoting use of these patterns on weight loss.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available