Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2009 Dec;33(12):1374-80.
doi: 10.1038/ijo.2009.185.

Are standard behavioral weight loss programs effective for young adults?

J Gokee-LaRose  1 , A A Gorin, H A Raynor, M N Laska, R W Jeffery, R L Levy, R R Wing
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Are standard behavioral weight loss programs effective for young adults?

J Gokee-LaRose et al. Int J Obes (Lond). 2009 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: To compare the enrollment, attendance, retention and weight losses of young adults in behavioral weight loss (BWL) programs with older participants in the same trials.

Methods: Data were pooled from three NIH-funded adult BWL trials from two clinical centers in different regions of the country (total N=298); young adults were defined as those aged 18-35 years. Both young adults and adults were compared on session attendance, retention at the 6-month assessment, weight loss and physical activity at 6 months.

Results: Young adults represented 7% of the sample, attended significantly fewer sessions than did adults (52 vs 74%, respectively; P<0.001) and were less likely to be retained for the 6-month assessment (67 vs 95%, respectively; P<0.05). Controlling for demographic variables, study and baseline weight, the mean weight losses achieved were significantly less for young adults compared with adults (-4.3 kg (6.3) vs -7.7 kg (7.0), respectively; P<0.05); fewer young adults achieved > or =5% weight loss at 6 months compared with older participants (8/21 (38%) vs 171/277 (62%); P<0.05). After controlling for session attendance, differences in the mean weight loss were not significant (P=0.81). Controlling for baseline values, study and demographics, changes in total physical activity over the initial 6 months of treatment were less for young adults compared with adults, but these differences only approached statistical significance (P=0.07).

Conclusion: These data indicate that standard programs do not meet the weight control needs of young adults. Research is urgently required to improve recruitment and retention efforts with this high-risk group.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

References

    1. Ogden CL, Carroll MD, Curtin LR, McDowell MA, Tabak CJ, Flegal KM. Prevalence of overweight and obesity in the United States, 1999–2004. JAMA. 2006;295:1549–1555. - PubMed
    1. Truesdale KP, Stevens J, Lewis CE, Schreiner PJ, Loria CM, Cai J. Changes in risk factors for cardiovascular disease by baseline weight status in young adults who maintain or gain weight over 15 years: the CARDIA study. Int J Obes (Lond) 2006;30:1397–1407. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lewis CE, Jacobs DR, Jr, McCreath H, Kiefe CI, Schreiner PJ, Smith DE, et al. Weight gain continues in the 1990s: 10-year trends in weight and overweight from the CARDIA study. Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults. Am J Epidemiol. 2000;15(151):1172–1181. - PubMed
    1. Norman JE, Bild D, Lewis CE, Liu K, Smith-West D. The impact of weight change on cardiovascular disease risk factors in young black and white adults: the CARDIA study. Int J Obes. 2003;27:369–376. - PubMed
    1. Levtisky DA, Garay J, Nausbaum M, Neighbors L, DellaValle DM. Monitoring weight daily blocks the freshman weight gain: a model for combating the epidemic of obesity. Int J Obes (Lond) 2006;30:1003–1010. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms