TY - JOUR

T1 - Demographic and social-cognitive factors associated with weight loss in overweight, pre-diabetic participants of the PREVIEW study

AU - Hansen, Sylvia

AU - Huttunen-Lenz, Maija

AU - Sluik, Diewertje

AU - Brand-Miller, Jennie

AU - Drummen, Mathijs

AU - Fogelholm, Mikael

AU - Handjieva-Darlenska, Teodora

AU - Macdonald, Ian

AU - Martinez, Alfredo J

AU - Larsen, Thomas Meinert

AU - Poppitt, Sally

AU - Raben, Anne

AU - Schlicht, Wolfgang

N1 - CURIS 2018 NEXS 297

PY - 2018

Y1 - 2018

N2 - Purpose: Weight loss has been demonstrated to be a successful strategy in diabetes prevention. Although weight loss is greatly influenced by dietary behaviors, social-cognitive factors play an important role in behavioral determination. This study aimed to identify demographic and social-cognitive factors (intention, self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, social support, and motivation with regard to dietary behavior and goal adjustment) associated with weight loss in overweight and obese participants from the PREVIEW study who had pre-diabetes.Method: Prospective correlational data from 1973 adult participants were analyzed. The participants completed psychological questionnaires that assessed social-cognitive variables with regard to dietary behavior. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed to identify baseline demographic and social-cognitive factors associated with weight loss.Results: Overall, being male, having a higher baseline BMI, having a higher income, perceiving fewer disadvantages of a healthy diet (outcome expectancies), experiencing less discouragement for healthy eating by family and friends (social support), and lower education were independently linked to greater weight loss. When evaluating females and males separately, education was no longer associated with weight loss.Conclusion: The results indicate that a supportive environment in which family members and friends avoid discouraging healthy eating, with the application of a strategy that uses specific behavior change techniques to emphasize the benefits of outcomes, i.e., the benefits of a healthy diet, may support weight loss efforts. Weight loss programs should therefore always address the social environment of persons who try to lose body weight because family members and friends can be important supporters in reaching a weight loss goal.

AB - Purpose: Weight loss has been demonstrated to be a successful strategy in diabetes prevention. Although weight loss is greatly influenced by dietary behaviors, social-cognitive factors play an important role in behavioral determination. This study aimed to identify demographic and social-cognitive factors (intention, self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, social support, and motivation with regard to dietary behavior and goal adjustment) associated with weight loss in overweight and obese participants from the PREVIEW study who had pre-diabetes.Method: Prospective correlational data from 1973 adult participants were analyzed. The participants completed psychological questionnaires that assessed social-cognitive variables with regard to dietary behavior. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were performed to identify baseline demographic and social-cognitive factors associated with weight loss.Results: Overall, being male, having a higher baseline BMI, having a higher income, perceiving fewer disadvantages of a healthy diet (outcome expectancies), experiencing less discouragement for healthy eating by family and friends (social support), and lower education were independently linked to greater weight loss. When evaluating females and males separately, education was no longer associated with weight loss.Conclusion: The results indicate that a supportive environment in which family members and friends avoid discouraging healthy eating, with the application of a strategy that uses specific behavior change techniques to emphasize the benefits of outcomes, i.e., the benefits of a healthy diet, may support weight loss efforts. Weight loss programs should therefore always address the social environment of persons who try to lose body weight because family members and friends can be important supporters in reaching a weight loss goal.

KW - Faculty of Science

KW - Weight loss

KW - Social-cognitive factors

KW - Behavioral determination

KW - Lifestyle intervention

U2 - 10.1007/s12529-018-9744-x

DO - 10.1007/s12529-018-9744-x

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 30128932

VL - 25

SP - 682

EP - 692

JO - International Journal of Behavioral Medicine

JF - International Journal of Behavioral Medicine

SN - 1070-5503

IS - 6

ER -