Motivation to ward off obesity lapses with time

Researchers have suggested that an obesity-related disease motivates many to start a weight loss program, but troubling health news is often not enough to sustain weight loss efforts.

The study evaluated mostly male Veterans Affairs (VA) patients to uncover what motivated them to join the VA behavioral weight management program known as MOVE!, which has been offered to veterans at no cost since 2008. Researchers used data from over 45,000 veterans who received services in 2002 and who had BMIs over 30. Some had been diagnosed in the previous 6 months with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and sleep apnea-all known to be co-morbidities of obesity.

The researchers found that those who had joined the MOVE! program were 2 to 3 times more likely to have had a recent obesity-related diagnosis than those who didn't enter the program. Patients were also more likely to join if they had a weight gain of 3 percent or greater.

The study also revealed, however, that although gaining weight and new disease diagnoses motivated veterans to join, most did not continue the program. Only 15 percent participated in more than eight sessions in six months.

Lead author Megan McVay, Ph.D., of the Durham Veterans Affairs Medical Center in North Carolina, said while researchers have examined other factors that may be related to sustained attendance at weight loss programs, we still have more to learn about what gets in the way of sustained engagement and how to help individuals overcome [the] barriers.

Lawrence J. Cheskin, M.D., director of Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center in Baltimore, said the behavior of the study's participants is not uncommon.

The new research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.