Individual versus group therapy for obesity: Effects of matching participants to their treatment preferences

This study examined the effects of matching participants to treatments on t he basis of their preferences for either individual or group therapy for ob esity. Seventy-five obese adults who expressed a clear preference for eithe r individual or group therapy were randomly assigned to either their prefer red or their nonpreferred treatment modality within a 2 (individual vs. gro up therapy) X 2 (preferred vs. nonpreferred modality) factorial design. At posttreatment, group therapy produced significantly greater reductions in w eight and body mass than individual therapy, and no significant effects wer e observed for treatment preference or the interaction for treatment prefer ence by type of therapy. All treatment conditions showed equivalent improve ments in psychological functioning. These findings suggest that group thera py produces greater weight loss than individual therapy, even among those c lients who express a preference for individual treatment.