Step-down approach to behavioural weight loss treatment: a pilot of a randomised clinical trial.

Background: In a stepped-down approach, patients begin with a more intensive treatment and are stepped down to a less intensive treatment based on achieving treatment goals. This study compared a standard behavioural weight loss programme (BWLP) to a stepped-down approach to treatment.

Methods: Fifty-two overweight/obese adults (Age: M = 47 years, SD = 13.

A randomized trial comparing two approaches to weight loss: differences in weight loss maintenance.

This study compared treatment outcomes for a new weight loss program that emphasized reducing unhealthy relationships with food, body image dissatisfaction, and internalized weight bias (New Perspectives) to a weight loss program that emphasizes environmental modification and habit formation and disruption (Transforming Your Life). Fifty-nine overweight and obese adults (body mass index ≥ 27 kg/m(2)) were randomly assigned to either a 12-week New Perspectives or Transforming Your Life intervention. Despite equivalent outcomes at the end of treatment, the Transforming Your Life participants were significantly more effective at maintaining their weight loss than New Perspectives participants during the 6-month no-treatment follow-up period.

Stepped-care in obesity treatment: matching treatment intensity to participant performance.

This investigation examined the effectiveness of a self-help (SH), stepped-care (SC) weight loss program. Based on a failure to achieve pre-assigned weight loss goals, participants were eligible to be stepped-up from a SH program to two levels of treatment intensity (weight loss group [WLG]; individual counseling [IC]) beyond SH. The primary outcome was change in body weight.

Emerald dragon bites vs veggie beans: Fun food names increase children's consumption of novel healthy foods.

Caregivers often struggle with food neophobia on the part of young children. This study examined whether labeling novel healthy foods with fun names would increase children's willingness to try those foods and encourage them to eat more of those foods in a child care setting. Thirty-nine toddler and preschool age children (mean age = 3.

The self-protective nature of implicit identity and its relationship to weight bias and short-term weight loss.

Background/aims: Research suggests that making overly positive self-evaluations is the norm rather than the exception. However, unlike other stigmatized groups, overweight individuals do not exhibit a positive in-group social identity and instead exhibit significant explicit, implicit, and internalized weight bias. Therefore, it is not known whether overweight/obese individuals will evidence self-enhancement on general traits (good, attractive), or on traits inconsistent with fat stereotypes (disciplined, active, healthy eater), on an assessment of implicit attitudes.

Assessing anti-fat bias in preschoolers: a comparison of a computer generated line-drawn figure array and photographic figure array.

This study examined differences in preschoolers' ratings of anti-fat bias and identification of current body size depending on the realism of the figure array used: computer generated line-drawn or photographic. Children reported strong anti-fat bias with both arrays. However, less extreme bias was elicited with the photographic figure array.

Successful weight loss with self-help: a stepped-care approach.

In a stepped-care approach to treatment, patients are transitioned to more intensive treatments when less intensive treatments fail to meet treatment goals. Self-help programs are recommended as an initial, low intensity treatment phase in stepped-care models. This investigation examined the effectiveness of a self-help, stepped-care weight loss program.