High attrition rates in commercial weight reduction programs
- 1 March 1981
- journal article
- research article
- Published by American Medical Association (AMA) in Archives of internal medicine (1960)
- Vol. 141 (4) , 426-428
- https://doi.org/10.1001/archinte.141.4.426
Abstract
The management of obesity is increasingly dominated by nonprofessional self-help groups. Little information about the efficacy of these groups is available from independent sources. In a study of 108 women enrolled in a commercial weight reduction program, very high attrition rates were found; 50% of the members dropped out in 6 wk and 70% in 12 wk. Similar attrition rates were reported in 5 other programs in 3 different countries. Very high attrition rates diminish the effectiveness of commercial weight reduction programs, and they suggest caution in the interpretation of data based on weight losses of persons who remain in these programs.This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: