Long-term effects of interventions for weight loss using food provision and monetary incentives.

One hundred seventy-seven men and women who had participated in an 18-month trial of behavioral interventions involving food provision and financial incentives were examined 12 months later. Food provision, but not financial incentives, led to better weight loss than standard behavioral treatment during the 18-month trial, but over 12 additional months of no-treatment follow-up, all treated groups gained weight, maintained only slightly better weight losses than a no-treatment control group, and did not differ from each other. Weight loss success during both active treatment and maintenance was associated with increase in exercise, decrease in percentage of energy from fat, increase in nutrition knowledge, and decrease in perceived barriers to adherence. Obesity treatment research should focus on developing better ways to maintain changes in the diet and exercise behaviors needed for sustained weight loss.

[1]  L. Epstein,et al.  Year-long weight loss treatment for obese patients with type II diabetes: does including an intermittent very-low-calorie diet improve outcome? , 1994, The American journal of medicine.

[2]  R. Wing,et al.  Dietary and physical activity correlates of long-term weight loss. , 1994, Obesity research.

[3]  G G Enas,et al.  Fluoxetine: a randomized clinical trial in the treatment of obesity. , 1994, International journal of obesity and related metabolic disorders : journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity.

[4]  T. Wadden,et al.  One-year behavioral treatment of obesity: comparison of moderate and severe caloric restriction and the effects of weight maintenance therapy. , 1994, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[5]  R R Wing,et al.  Strengthening behavioral interventions for weight loss: a randomized trial of food provision and monetary incentives. , 1993, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[6]  Goodrick Gk,et al.  Why Treatments for Obesity Don’t Last , 1991, Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

[7]  T. Wadden,et al.  The heterogeneity of obesity: Fitting treatments to individuals. , 1991 .

[8]  Arthur M. Nezu,et al.  Effect of length of treatment on weight loss. , 1989, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[9]  F. M. Kramer,et al.  Long-term follow-up of behavioral treatment for obesity: patterns of weight regain among men and women. , 1989, International journal of obesity.

[10]  T. Wadden,et al.  Three-year follow-up of the treatment of obesity by very low calorie diet, behavior therapy, and their combination. , 1988, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology.

[11]  K. Brownell,et al.  Improving long-term weight loss: Pushing the limits of treatment , 1987 .

[12]  G. Bennett.  Behavior therapy for obesity: A quantitative review of the effects of selected treatment characteristics on outcome , 1986 .

[13]  G Block,et al.  A data-based approach to diet questionnaire design and testing. , 1986, American journal of epidemiology.

[14]  G A Marlatt,et al.  Understanding and preventing relapse. , 1986, The American psychologist.

[15]  R. Paffenbarger,et al.  Physical activity, all-cause mortality, and longevity of college alumni. , 1986, The New England journal of medicine.

[16]  M. Perri,et al.  Do behavioral treatments of obesity last? A five-year follow-up investigation. , 1984, Addictive behaviors.

[17]  Albert J. Stunkard,et al.  Behavioral treatment of obesity: The state of the art 1976 * , 1978 .