Prognostic indicators of success or relapse in weight reduction

Abstract

This study attempted to identify a number of behavioral, personality, and attitudinal factors predictive of weight loss outcome at the end of treatment and at an 8-month follow-up. Posttreatment outcome was significantly related to the total number of realistic and unrealistic diets previously tried, eating in response to emotional arousal, and a history of chronic dieting. Pretreatment predictors of follow-up outcome were: Rosenbaum Self-Control Schedule score, Eating Pattern Questionnaire score, and Self-Efficacy score. Treatment dropouts reported a significantly greater history of continual dieting than did those who completed the treatment program.