Is drop-out from obesity treatment a predictable and preventable event?

Background: Attrition is an important but understudied issue that plays a vital role in the successful treatment of obesity. To date, most studies focusing on attrition rates and/or its predictors have been based on pretreatment data routinely collected for other purposes. Our study specifically aims at identifying the predictors of drop-out focusing on empirically or theoretically-based factors.

High frequency of psychopathology in subjects wishing to lose weight: an observational study in Italian subjects.

Objective: To investigate the frequency of psychiatric disorders in subjects wishing to lose weight categorized according to BMI.

Design: Cross-sectional study.

Setting: An academic outpatient clinical nutrition service in Italy.

Dietary intakes in infertile women a pilot study.

Background: The reproductive axis is closely linked to nutritional status. The purpose of this study was to compare the nutritional status in two groups of young infertile women, without clinically overt eating disorders: hypothalamic amenorrhea (HA) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Methods: Eighteen young infertile women (10 HA, 8 PCOS) attending an outpatient gynecological endocrinology unit, underwent evaluation of anthropometry, body composition, dietary intakes by means of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a seven-day food diary (7DD), and psychological characteristics by means of EDI2 and SCL90 tests.

To treat or not to treat: comparison of different criteria used to determine whether weight loss is to be recommended.

Background: Excess body fat is a major risk factor for disease primarily due to its endocrine activity. In recent years several criteria have been introduced to evaluate this factor. Nevertheless, treatment need is currently assessed only on the basis of an individual's Body Mass Index (BMI), calculated as body weight (in kg) divided by height in m2.