Motivation and Limiting Factors for Adherence to Weight Loss Interventions among Patients with Obesity in Primary Care

Abstract

The cornerstones of obesity management are diet, physical activity and behavioral change. However, there is considerable scientific evidence that lifestyle interventions to treat obesity are rarely implemented in primary care. The aim of this study is to analyze motivation to lose weight among patients with obesity, the resources implemented by primary care centers to promote behavioral change and the limiting factors reported by the patients themselves when attempting to lose weight. A total of 209 patients diagnosed with obesity were interviewed. The variables were obtained from both electronic clinical records (sex, age, BMI, diagnosis of metabolic syndrome and records of activities prescribed to promote behavioral change) and a self-administered personal questionnaire. A total of 67.5% of the respondents reported not having sufficient motivation to adhere to a weight loss program. Records of behavioral change activities were identified in only 3% of the clinical records reviewed. The barriers to adherence to diet and exercise plans most frequently mentioned by patients were not having a prescribed diet (27.8%), joint pain (17.7%), getting tired or bored of dieting (14.8%) and laziness (11.5%). Both the high percentage of patients reporting insufficient motivation to lose weight and the barriers to weight loss identified suggest that patients feel the need to improve their motivation, which should be promoted through primary care.

Adherence of Obese Patients from Poland and Germany and Its Impact on the Effectiveness of Morbid Obesity Treatment

“…In the presented study, the number of health professionals involved in obesity management was related to adherence. In the literature, it is also indicated that an important step towards successful weight reduction is creating a net of healthcare professionals involved in obesity management, including psychologists, social workers, and educators [50,51]. The obesity management team should be well-educated on many aspects of obesity and related comorbidities and psychosocial problems.…”

Barriers and Motivators to Weight Loss in People With Obesity

“…Barriers to weight loss among people with obesity included insufficient self-control/motivation, physical pain or discomfort, time constraints, unpleasant food taste, challenges in achieving satiety due to dietary restrictions, concerns about the sustained efficacy of the diet, its difficulty in adhering to, experiencing diet-related side effects, life changes, alterations in health status, internal influences, external pressures, a lack of accountability, and insufficiency of social support [ 8 , 15 , 16 , 21 , 24 , 26 ]. Barriers encompassed resource shortages, logistical issues, patient readiness, physician views on surgery, limited obesity understanding, time and financial constraints (expensive healthy diet and gym subscription), motivation, environment, emotions, and relationships, affecting exercise, mental state, support, and dietary choices [ 27 , 28 ].…”

How immersive virtual reality can become a key tool to advance research and psychotherapy of eating and weight disorders

“…Further, there are hints that patients have fewer reservations about virtual exposure than about real-life exposure ( 48 ). For patients with eating and weight disorders, virtual paradigms facilitate exposure to imaginary therapy consequences, such as weight gain or loss, and therefore have the potential to become a valuable tool for increasing motivation for treatment ( 49 – 51 ) and thereby improving therapy adherence.…”