An intervention of sustainable weight change: Influence of self-help group and expectations

Obesity is one of the most challenging public health problems in Western societies. Group activities are a way to empower individuals to make sustainable lifestyle changes. Self-help groups enable individuals to share expectations and experiences on an equal basis.

The aim was to find a model for sustainable weight reduction for people with obesity and to evaluate the importance of expectations before entering the weight reduction programme.

Persons with a BMI >30 and aged over 30 years were recruited. Weekly seminars for 6 months with discussions concerning physical activity, eating habits and how to change one's lifestyle occurred. After the seminars, a self-help group was initiated. The participants were encouraged to express their expectations before each step in the study.

Our findings showed that those who had joined a self-help group had reduced their weight significantly (-6.0 kg) compared with those who had not (-1.4 kg). Further, those who expressed a more mature expectation of the coming change in behaviour towards a healthy lifestyle showed slightly larger weight reduction (-6.1 kg) than those who expressed low expectations (-3.7 kg).

Participants expressed their thoughts and views, which were considered and included in the programme.

Our findings indicate that the self-help group can be an essential part of a weight reduction programme. The self-help group is a novel strategy to strengthen sustainability in reducing weight. The study also highlights the importance of identifying behaviour change expectations before participating in a programme.