Diss. (sammanfattning) Stockholm : Karol inst., 2004. / Härtill 4 uppsatser.

Thesis (M.S.)--Missouri State University, 2008. / "May 2008." Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-64). Also available online.

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1983.

Thesis (M.S.)--Brock University, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 48-54).

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Michigan, 1983.

Background: The majority of adults in the UK are overweight or obese, and many embark on weight loss attempts, often without professional support. This dissertation set out to hone in on the cognitive and behavioural strategies used by adults with overweight and obesity attempting to lose weight, particularly in self-guided attempts, and to test the relationship between use of these strategies and weight loss success. Methods: A new taxonomy and questionnaire were developed to provide a framework to identify the cognitive and behavioural strategies used by individuals during weight loss attempts. The taxonomy was used in a systematic review and meta-analysis of self-help interventions for weight loss and in a systematic review of qualitative studies of self-directed weight loss. The questionnaire was used in an observational cohort study in adults with overweight and obesity trying to lose weight. Results: The taxonomy and questionnaire consist of 117 strategies. The qualitative review illuminated a range of attitudes and beliefs towards these strategies and highlighted the centrality of interpretation of self-monitored data. The quantitative review found that self-help interventions led to greater weight loss than unsupported attempts to lose weight at six months. In the cohort study, despite heterogeneity in the strategies employed, coherent patterns of behaviours emerged for individual participants. Strategies related to motivational support, dietary impulse control, and weight loss planning and monitoring were associated with greater weight loss. Conclusion: This dissertation demonstrates that self-help interventions can lead to significant weight loss and provides results to guide the content of such interventions. It maps out a previously uncharted area and provides a set of tools for further research and intervention development.

The present study used healthy questionnaires to evaluate the compounding effects of weight loss and weight gain in choosing to exercise. The questionnaire was distributed to 31 participants via social media outlets. Demographic information was also recorded such as height, weight, ethnicity, and income. The height and weight recorded was used to correlate the BMI with the AUC values. This data did not show a strong correlation between body mass index with high or low AUC values, these values were evenly distributed between underweight, normal/average weight, and overweight participants. . The questionnaires designed to assess how people view exercise and to determine if there is a pattern with sequencing delays with the calculated switch point and AUC. Statistical and visual analyses were conducted at the group and participant level. The switch points, were documented from each delay and was calculated to determine the compounding sequence that was preferred from each participant. The results from the study indicated that participants chose to exercise immediately within the first day, when the consequence was to lose weight. The results for the gain condition indicated that participants would gain weight instead of exercise, to a certain limit (100 days), when they chose to then engage in exercise behavior regularly. The conclusion of this study shows that the longer the delay the less valued the outcome is. This is important when understanding the obesity epidemic within the United States.

Objective: To examine whether weight history and weight transitions over adult lifespan contribute to physical impairment among postmenopausal women. Design: BMI categories were calculated among postmenopausal women who reported their weight and height at age 18 years. Multiple-variable logistic regression was used to determine the association between BMI at age 18 years and BMI transitions over adulthood on severe physical impairment (SPI), defined as scoring <60 on the Physical Functioning subscale of the Rand thirty-six-item Short-Form Health Survey. Setting: Participants were part of the Women's Health Initiative Observational Study (WHI OS), where participants' health was followed over time via questionnaires and clinical assessments. Subjects: Postmenopausal women (n 76 016; mean age 635 (sd 73) years). Results: Women with overweight (BMI=250-299 kg/m(2)) or obesity (BMI = 300 kg/m(2)) at 18 years had greater odds (OR (95 % CI)) of SPI (151 (135, 169) and 214 (172, 265), respectively) than normal-weight (BMI=185-249 kg/m(2)) counterparts. Transitions from normal weight to overweight/obese or to underweight (BMI<185 kg/m(2)) were associated with greater odds of SPI (197 (184, 211) and 135 (106, 171), respectively) compared with weight stability. Shifting from underweight to overweight/obese also had increased odds of SPI (152 (111, 209)). Overweight/obese to normal BMI transitions resulted in a reduced SPI odds (052 (039, 071)). Conclusions: Higher weight history and transitions into higher weight classes were associated with higher likelihood of SPI, while transitioning into lower weight classes for those with overweight/obesity was protective among postmenopausal women.

No description available.

Obesity is a chronic and growing disease defined by weighing 20% or more than the ideal, or having a body mass index (BMI) of 30 kg/m2 or more. While natural weight loss is available, many patients are choosing weight loss surgery (i.e., bariatric surgery) as an alternative to lose weight and reduce their risks for comorbidities such as diabetes, heart disease, and sleep apnea. Tools and resources for post-surgical support in the bariatric surgery community have been limited and, in the past, most tools and resources for weight loss have focused on non-surgical weight loss communities; as such, analysis methods for measuring success in this population have not been clearly developed and tested. This research proposes and evaluates analysis methods that may be used in such studies. These analysis methods are evaluated using data from the Weight and Exercise Lifestyle Support study at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, MA. In this study, a group of participants (n = 6) approved for bariatric surgery were followed by the research team starting roughly one month before surgery through three months after surgery. Participants received pedometers and weight scales, and access to an online patient portal where they could review their physical activity levels, and receive support from others in the study and an exercise consultant. Data collected included pre- and post-study dietary and exercise self-efficacy levels, self-reported and objective physical activity measures, self-reported dietary adherence, device usage, and usability and satisfaction with the program. This research evaluates whether the proposed measures can help determine the presence and nature of the relationships between the aforementioned variables. If these measures prove to be useful, they can be used in future interventions that use technology to support post-surgical weight loss communities.