Obesity level and attrition: support for patient-treatment matching in obesity treatment

Obesity treatment studies report attrition rates from 20% to 45%. To reduce attrition, researchers have proposed matching patients to treatment based upon level of obesity. The current study attempted to validate the commonly held assumption that a mismatch between obesity level and treatment will promote attrition. The level of obesity and attrition rates of 39 adults who enrolled in a 12-session behavior therapy program were examined. As obesity level increased, so did attrition. Sixty-nine percent of subjects with mild obesity, 43% of subjects with moderate obesity and 0% of subjects with severe obesity completed treatment.