Predictors Of Compliance With A Behavioral Change Intervention For Obese Adolescents.

Abstract

This study was designed to identify some of the psychosocial barriers to compliance in a hospital-based weight control intervention program for adolescents. Forty obese adolescents, 10 to 16 years of age, and their parents were surveyed prior to participation in a behavioral change weight control program at C. S. Mott Children's Hospital, University of Michigan Medical Center. Significant correlations were obtained between weight loss outcome and six factors. In obese adolescents, weight loss was significantly associated with their beliefs regarding: (1) personal control over weight, (2) barriers or difficulty of losing weight, (3) medical problems as a cause of their obesity, (4) family problems as a cause of their obesity, and (5) perceived willingness of family members to diet. It is suggested that greater weight loss in children who perceived more barriers/difficulty and less family willingness to diet may reflect the importance of having realistic expectations related to behavioral compliance. In addition, a positive parental attitude or expectation that the child was less likely to be overweight in the future was associated with greater weight loss compliance. Other parental health beliefs, however, did not generally predict the child's weight loss response to the intervention. The findings lend support to the significance of the adolescent's beliefs regarding weight and family support in predicting weight loss compliance in response to a behavioral change intervention program.