title: A motivation-focused weight loss maintenance program is an effective alternative to a skill-based approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Maintaining weight loss is a major challenge in obesity treatment. Individuals often indicate that waning motivation prompts cessation of effective weight management behaviors. Therefore, a novel weight loss maintenance program that specifically targets motivational factors was evaluated.
  
  
  METHODS
  Overweight women (N=338; 19% African American) with urinary incontinence were randomized to lifestyle obesity treatment or control and followed for 18 months. All participants in lifestyle (N=226) received the same initial 6-month group behavioral obesity treatment and were then randomized to (1) a novel motivation-focused maintenance program (N=113) or (2) a standard skill-based maintenance approach (N=113).
  
  
  METHODS
  Weight assessed at baseline, 6 and 18 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both treatment groups (motivation-focused and skill-based) achieved comparable 18-month weight losses (-5.48% for motivation-focused vs -5.55% in skill-based, P=0.98), and both groups lost significantly more than controls (-1.51%; P=0.0012 in motivation-focused and P=0.0021 in skill-based).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A motivation-focused maintenance program offers an alternative, effective approach to weight maintenance expanding available evidence-based interventions beyond traditional skill-based programs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, College of Public Health, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 7205, USA. WestDelia@uams.edu
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: West
authors.forename: A A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Gorin
authors.forename: L L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Subak
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bragg
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hecht
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schembri
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Wing
mesh_terms: D001521:Behavior Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D004038:Diet, Reducing / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009042:Motivation; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D010349:Patient Compliance; D040242:Risk Reduction Behavior; D012649:Self Concept; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014549:Urinary Incontinence / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D015431:Weight Loss