MAINTENANCE OF WEIGHT-LOSS - A NEEDS ASSESSMENT

This study identified facilitators and obstacles to maintenance of wei ght loss following a very-lowcalorie-diet and behavior modification pr ogram, A survey was mailed to a random sample of 178 program completer s and received a 61% response rate; the most frequent follow-up period was more than 2 years. Twenty-nine percent reported weighing the same (within 10 Ibs) or less than the end of their participation in the tr eatment program (maintainers), while 71% reported their present weight was a mean of 65% higher than their initial weight loss (regainers), Maintainers were significantly more likely to report engaging in regul ar aerobic exercise, attending a maintenance support group, and confid ence in their ability to manage their weight in the future, while rega iners were more likely to report stress and motivation as frequent wei ght management obstacles, Respondents consistently identified the need for low/no cost ongoing support, Maintainers and selapsers reported s imilar challenges in managing their weight, yet with different results , suggesting the need to identify subgroups for which different posttr eatment support options could be applied.