Perceived barriers and facilitators of initiation of behavioral weight loss interventions among adults with obesity: a qualitative study

Abstract

Obtaining information on what adults with obesity see as the benefits of interventions will be crucial to inform strategies to increase intervention initiation among this population. [...]in the current study, we aimed to describe the range of reasons that adults with obesity provide for initiating or not initiating evidence-based behavioral weight loss interventions. Inclusion criteria included age 18–70 and BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 based on self-reported weight and height. Because we were interested in why individuals attempt weight loss with assistance from an evidence-based comprehensive intervention versus attempt weight loss on their own without formal assistance, we excluded people who had made no weight loss attempt in the past year (i.e., those who responded negatively to “Have you tried to lose weight in the past year by changing your diet or physical activity level?”). [...]intervention initiators reported that initiation was favored when interventions offered an approach to food that would not contribute to feeling deprived, for example, by allowing them to continue to eat their favorite foods. [...]some non-initiators felt that they already knew everything that an intervention would tell them. [...]when communicating to individuals interested in losing weight, it may be important to communicate that an intervention is valuable for providing motivation and support, rather than just knowledge.