The ups and downs of lifestyle modification: An existential journey among persons with severe obesity

Maintaining a healthy living after the end of a lifestyle intervention is a challenge for persons with severe obesity. Measurable outcomes are often emphasised, but there is a need for understanding the process of lifestyle change and the long-term perspectives among persons with severe obesity.

To describe and deepen the understanding of how persons with severe obesity experience making and maintaining lifestyle changes in everyday life three years after lifestyle intervention.

The study used a hermeneutic phenomenological approach. A purposive sample of seven adults with BMI ≥ 40 was recruited from a lifestyle intervention programme. Data were generated through individual follow-up interviews. The analysis was based on theoretical framework on dwelling and mobility. Ethical approvals were received from the Danish Data Protection Agency and the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki were followed.

One overarching theme emerged: 'The journey of ups and downs'. Three sub-themes were: 'Living with and tackling the demands of life's hassles', 'Deliberating the fight for weight loss' and 'Needing a trusted person to feel met as a human being'.

Everyday life among persons with severe obesity is experienced as a dynamic process of shifting experiences of dwelling and mobility. Sustained lifestyle changes require ongoing adjustments of action, which healthcare providers can influence in ways that either support or obstruct. Collaboration and a humanised approach across disciplines and sectors are suggested to promote sustained healthy living.