title: Self-efficacy, attendance, and weight loss in obesity treatment.
abstract: Self-efficacy is an important predictor of treatment outcomes for a variety of addictive behaviors. However, little research is available regarding its predictive value in obesity treatment. We assessed the predictive validity of the 20-item version of the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire (WEL) in a consecutive sample of 109 obese adults seeking outpatient treatment at a university-based weight-management center. Although the WEL demonstrated a stable factor structure and sound psychometric properties, it failed to correlate with either program attendance or weight loss. We concluded that self-efficacy judgments (as measured by the WEL) are not predictive of short-term obesity treatment outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: K R
authors.initials: KR
authors.lastname: Fontaine
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Cheskin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D010349:Patient Compliance / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011594:Psychometrics / Q000592:standards*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D015431:Weight Loss