ATTENDANCE AND OUTCOME IN A WORK SITE WEIGHT CONTROL PROGRAM - PROCESSES AND STAGES OF CHANGE AS PROCESS AND PREDICTOR VARIABLES

This naturalistic study assessed client changes during treatment and i dentified salient predictors of therapy attendance and outcome. Subjec ts were assessed on processes and stages of change, self-efficacy, soc ial support, weight history (including expectations, goals, and reason s for losing weight), and demographics at the beginning, middle, and e nd of a 10-week, behaviorally oriented work site program for weight co ntrol. Significant shifts from contemplation to action occurred for cl ients remaining in treatment. There were also significant modification s in the use of change processes as a result of treatment: countercond itioning, contingency management, stimulus control, interpersonal cont rol, and social liberation increased while medication use, wishful thi nking, and minimizing treats decreased. Change processes employed duri ng the early portion of the group treatment were the best predictors o f treatment attendance and outcome, superior to self-efficacy, social support, weight history, and demographic variables. The results suppor ted a transtheoretical model that emphasizes dynamic processes and sta ges as core dimensions for understanding how people change.