A senior researcher and hospital Chief of General Pediatrics, testifies about his work with a California school district to prevent obesity by developing a middle school program to promote healthy eating and physical activity. A two-year study has found that students have limited access to drinking water, especially at meals. In the schools being…

Most studies of bulimics have used an identified, clinical sample of individuals who have been evaluated and diagnosed by professional mental health workers. In this study, self-reported food addicts completed a questionnaire that assessed demographic as well as behavioral and cognitive factors related to their eating. The intent was to describe…

Self-efficacy theory proposes that beliefs about behavior are important variables to consider in the study of behavior change. The belief that an individual is capable of executing behavior and that the execution of such behavior will result in the desired outcome must be present for behavioral and psychological change to occur. This theory may…

In the past few years, a comprehensive behavioral treatment program has often been the treatment of choice for obesity. The basis for these techniques is the energy balance model of weight control. Obese adults (N=28) completed a 10-week behavioral weight control program and were subsequently monitored during a 2-year follow-up period. During…

Reviews a motivational approach for increasing exercise and decreasing fat consumption to reduce body weight in obese individuals. Exercise motivation includes communicating the physiological benefits and self-regulating exercise intensity. Prudent eating motivation includes stopping restrictive dieting, distinguishing between hunger and craving,…

Conflicts that accompany weight loss as indicated by the presence of anxieties and fears in individuals who have lost an uncontestably large amount of weight were investigated. Subjects (N=12) who had lost a minimum of 100 pounds in a medically supervised weight program were interviewed about the onset of obesity, concurrent personal conflicts,…

A review of research indicates that cognitive restraint is insufficient in accounting for the relationship between restraint and negative affect eating. To explore what mechanism may be responsible for restraint effects, college students in two samples (Total N=378) completed the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TEQ), a restraint scale…

Research suggests that individuals who were never heavy, were once heavy but lost weight, or who are currently obese can be differentiated by physical self concept, number of hours spent in various activities, and the hierarchial reinforcement value of different behaviors. Subjects (N=99) completed the Tennessee Self-Concept Test, the Self-Control…

The psychosomatic theory of obesity assumes that binging, eating in response to emotional distress, is characteristic of obese individuals, yet experimental attempts to demonstrate binging have yielded weak support for this assumption. The incidence of binging was investigated by means of structured interviews on food habits with 41 male and 39…

This paper discusses the use of Rational Recovery (RR) as a counseling technique in treating people who feel fat, particularly women. Fatness is viewed as a philosophy, not a physical condition. Cultural influences defining and stressing ideal femininity come down hard on women whose physiques or appearances do not measure up. RR gives people…

The behaviorally-based weight control program conducted by Levitz and Jordan at the University of Pennsylvania and the Institute for Behavioral Education is tailored to patient needs and includes stimulus control, cognitive restructuring, and nutrition education. The success of patients in maintaining the clinically meaningful weight losses…

Identification of relevant individual and intervention variables whose interaction affects response to treatment can be used to facilitate favorable outcomes through appropriate client-treatment matching. To provide a preliminary appraisal of this interaction hypothesis by examining the relationship between client and treatment loci of control as…

Although the augmental value of exercise to behavioral weight control programs has been suggested, demonstration of this value is dependent upon an assessment of adherence to change in eating habits and activity patterns. Self-report measures of adherence were obtained from overweight college women undergoing treatment that involved either dietary…

This model of an eight-week childhood obesity program for intermediate elementary through junior high school students addresses the social, psychological, and physical penalties often incurred by obese children. The materials detail the program format in terms of: (1) a daily food log; (2) a discussion of proper nutrition; (3) a contract for…

Commitment is a self-control technique to induce weight loss. Tow targets of commitment contingencies, completion of the study and behavior change, were examined among 42 female and 3 male subjects who made a monetary deposit to enroll in the 10-week program. The treatment consisted of self-monitoring of eating and exercise behavior. Subjects were…