Examining Daily-Self Weighing as a Stand-Alone Intervention for Obesity Management

Authors

• Ashley Parish, University of Alabama at Birmingham

Advisor(s)

Kevin Fontaine

Committee Member(s)

Brooks Wingo
Donald Lein
Gareth Dutton
Gregory Pavela

School

School of Health Professions

Document Type

Dissertation

Department (new version)

Health Education/Promotion (Public Health)

Date of Award

9-23-2024

Abstract

Obesity is an epidemic that has substantial implications for both individuals with the disease as well as the healthcare system in the United States. Individuals with obesity are at increased risk for developing associated co-morbid conditions such as cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and some forms of cancer, which can affect quality of life and lead to mortality. There are many health behavior interventions which target weight loss, maintenance of weight loss, or weight gain prevention in those with obesity; however, interventions have unique barriers that can vary based on personal, environmental, and social factors. Primary care (PC) settings, which often serve as the first point of contact within the healthcare system, might be an appropriate setting to manage weight in individuals with obesity. However, this setting comes with its own set of unique challenges to weight management from the provider and patient perspective. A low-burden intervention of daily self-weighing (DSW) might be a feasible health behavior intervention for weight management, including in PC, as evidence has shown success as a stand-alone intervention. However, little is known about the mechanisms behind the effectiveness when not included as part of a multicomponent intervention. The purpose of this dissertation is to use pure qualitative and mixed methodology to examine the effectiveness of DSW as a stand-alone intervention for weight management through three sub-analyses from the Daily Self-Weighing for Obesity Management in Primary Care (SWOP) study. Results from these analyses show that that DSW is perceived positively in adults with obesity with few barriers significantly affecting the ability to engage in the intervention longitudinally over a 24-month period. DSW can also spark other health behavior changes such as being physically active, eating healthy foods and monitoring other health parameters. Though qualitative findings are positive towards DSW as an intervention, factors such as short appointment durations and patient perceived attitudes of primary care providers regarding weight and weight management strategies might limit the full effectiveness of the intervention in primary care settings. Quantitative findings suggest that DSW might be an effective intervention for prevention of weight gain, though these findings were not significant compared to a control group. Future studies should assess outcomes of DSW as a stand-alone intervention versus as a multicomponent intervention, examine the effectiveness of DSW in a more generalizable population, and test implementation of this intervention in PC settings.

ProQuest ID

https://proquest.com/docview/3107822760