Taking action to lose weight: Toward an understanding of individual differences

Rachel A. Annunziato; Michael R. Lowe

doi:10.1016/j.eatbeh.2006.04.004

Taking action to lose weight: Toward an understanding of individual differences

Rachel A. Annunziato, Michael R. Lowe

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to understand differences in obese/overweight individuals who do and do not seek ongoing external assistance for weight loss. Help-seeking was examined as a dichotomous and as a continuous variable. Measures of body mass index, comorbid medical conditions, socioeconomic status, psychological distress, disordered eating behavior, body image, and obesity-related knowledge were administered to a community sample of 120 overweight women (age: 22-65 y, BMI: 25-63 kg/m²). Fewer predictors of help-seeking were identified when measuring help-seeking as a dichotomy than when measuring it as a continuum. All predictors were from psychosocial domains, with obesity-related knowledge being the strongest, most consistent predictor. Help-seeking for weight control in a community sample of overweight and obese individuals appears to be motivated by psychological aspects of obesity, rather than obesity's physical or medical burden.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	185-194
Number of pages	10
Journal	Eating Behaviors
Volume	8
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.eatbeh.2006.04.004
State	Published - Apr 2007

Keywords

Dieting
Help-seeking
Obesity
Predictors
Treatment-seeking

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title = "Taking action to lose weight: Toward an understanding of individual differences",

abstract = "The purpose of the present study was to understand differences in obese/overweight individuals who do and do not seek ongoing external assistance for weight loss. Help-seeking was examined as a dichotomous and as a continuous variable. Measures of body mass index, comorbid medical conditions, socioeconomic status, psychological distress, disordered eating behavior, body image, and obesity-related knowledge were administered to a community sample of 120 overweight women (age: 22-65 y, BMI: 25-63 kg/m2). Fewer predictors of help-seeking were identified when measuring help-seeking as a dichotomy than when measuring it as a continuum. All predictors were from psychosocial domains, with obesity-related knowledge being the strongest, most consistent predictor. Help-seeking for weight control in a community sample of overweight and obese individuals appears to be motivated by psychological aspects of obesity, rather than obesity's physical or medical burden.",

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AU - Lowe, Michael R.

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KW - Predictors

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Taking action to lose weight: Toward an understanding of individual differences

Abstract

Keywords

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