Abstract
A clinical replication design was used with seven moderately obese women subjects to investigate the potential of a minimal intervention and problem-solving program in combination and separately. At the end of 1-year follow-up, clinically significant weight losses were achieved; three subjects (43%) reached their calculated ideal weight and the average weight loss was 25.31 pounds. Other major findings included the following: (a) Five subjects (71%) were able to lose weight during the minimal intervention program with little professional assistance; (b) homogeneous weight losses occurred during the problem-solving program (SD = 1.72) and measures of success in problem solving were significantly correlated with measures of weight loss; and (c) weight loss continued after treatment—six subjects (86%) lost weight at 3-month follow-up and three (43%) continued to lose weight at 12-month follow-up. It was concluded that the minimal intervention program might be used as an initial step in a stepped approach to weight management. Problem solving may be an important cognitive treatment component in behavioral weight control programs. Pounds lost may not be an accurate indication of the efficacy of a treatment program because asymptote can occur when a high proportion of subjects reach ideal weight, and therefore, percentage overweight should be considered the main dependent measure in weight-control studies.
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This research was supported in part by a grant from the Academic Computing and Advisory Committee at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha. I wish to thank the following people for their help and suggestions: Elaine Baskin, J. Merrill Carlsmith, Richard N. Jacks, Joyce Nash, and Nicholas G. Stayrook. I thank the following people for their review of earlier drafts of this manuscript: William C. Coe, Thomas J. D'Zurilla, Ronald S. Hadsall, Robert W. Jeffery, Mark E. McKinney, Michael H. Miner, Judith L. Timberg, Carl E. Thoresen, and Rena R. Wing.
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Black, D.R. A minimal intervention program and a problem-solving program for weight control. Cogn Ther Res 11, 107–119 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01183136
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01183136