AN EVALUATION OF A TELEVISION-DELIVERED BEHAVIORAL WEIGHT-LOSS PROGRAM - ARE THE RATINGS ACCEPTABLE

This experiment evaluated the efficacy of television delivery of a beh avioral weight reduction program. Seventy-one overweight adults were r andomly assigned to a live-contact weight loss group that was videotap ed for viewing by other groups, a live-contact group that was not vide otaped, a television-delivered group that observed the videotaped weig ht loss sessions, or a waiting-list control group. Participants in all 3 treatment groups lost significantly more weight during the 8-week t reatment program than those in the waiting-list control group. There w ere no significant weight loss differences among the 3 treatment group s during the program. These weight changes were maintained at 3-month follow-up. At 15-month follow-up, the television-delivered group and t he live-contact group maintained their weight losses, whereas the vide otaped group did not. Cost-effectiveness analyses indicated that the t elevision-delivered group received the most cost-effective treatment.