Decoupling the Independent Effects of Multiple Simultaneous Behavior Changes in on Weight Loss

Abstract

When offering weight loss guidance, multiple suggestions are often tailored in different ways to an individual. Because each set of advice may be unique, it is difficult to estimate the individual impact of any single recommendation. This study provided 200 individuals with three of 30 different diet‐related behavior changes and tracked their self‐reported daily compliance and their weight change over one to three months. Different statistical methods are compared in their ability to separate out the individual impact of these 20 behavior changes on weight loss. The results are useful for researchers who want to better assess which of multiple suggestions are most directly tied to a behavior change, such as weight loss.Grant Funding Source: non