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The global weight management market is primarily driven by the rising prevalence of obesity and weight-related health issues. Besides this, the expanding fast-food industry, hectic work schedules, and a lack of physical activity are resulting in numerous lifestyle diseases, which in turn are putting a significant strain on public healthcare budgets. These factors have prompted the government bodies across several countries to host health awareness and wellness programs, thereby augmenting the demand for weight management services.

Obesity is a growing public health concern associated with poor health outcomes, increased healthcare costs, and decreased human productivity. Women are inordinately impacted by obesity. The insidious nature of weight gain and the numerous factors (e.g., environmental, psychological, and socioeconomic) that contribute to obesity make it a complex problem to address. While government healthcare policies and initiatives focus on treating obesity to prevent secondary chronic conditions, few robust public efforts are dedicated to the prevention of obesity in adults. Some employers have responded to the need for obesity prevention with an increase in employer-sponsored weight management programs, yet program success has been inconsistent. While comprehensive individualized programs are among the most effective programs, they are also the costliest to implement across populations. Understanding body weight and weight management from the perspective of population subsets may facilitate more affordable, tailored approaches to designing effective weight management programs to prevent obesity. However, there is little information available about overweight working women's perspectives of body weight and weight management. The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study, guided by Pender's health promotion model, was to examine overweight working women's perceptions and experiences with body weight and weight management. Eleven overweight working women aged 18 years or older who had attempted weight loss volunteered for individual, semi-structured interviews. The interview data were analyzed using deductive content analysis to answer six research questions (RQs): RQ1: How do overweight, working women describe body weight? RQ2: What are overweight, working women's experiences of weight management? RQ3 What factors contribute to weight gain according to overweight, working women? RQ4 What factors promote weight maintenance and loss in overweight, working women? RQ5: What weight maintenance and loss methods are preferred by ...

The current study employed a confirmation perspective to examine the relationship between communication with significant others and individuals' weight management. Confirmation was conceptualized as consisting of two components—acceptance and challenge. In Study 1, 413 participants (aged 18-66) completed a survey assessing their diet and exercise behaviors as well as interactions with a significant other about weight management. As predicted, the combination of acceptance and challenge from significant others was related to the highest levels of body self-esteem, eating and exercise self-efficacy, and healthy eating behaviors beyond the individual effects of acceptance and challenge. In Study 2, 161 participants (aged 18-62) rated the effectiveness of messages varying in acceptance and challenge. Messages higher in both acceptance and challenge were rated as more effective in motivating healthy behaviors than messages primarily higher in either acceptance or challenge or lower in both. Overall, both studies suggest the contribution of one component of confirmation was enhanced by the presence of the other component in predicting weight management attitudes and behaviors.

Meal replacements are a safe and effective tool for weight loss and weight management and beyond. Recent research and concepts suggest that the category can provide additional metabolic and nutritional benefits not previously recognized. Recent studies indicate that use of protein‐enriched meal replacements helps maintain lean body mass during weight loss, providing additional metabolic benefits in the form of improved insulin sensitivity and reduced inflammation. Depending on the formulation, meal replacements can have a low glycemic index and have a high nutrient density relative to energy density, the latter being an important aspect highlighted in government dietary guidance. While well defined in some markets, there is a need to establish clear regulatory standards in other key markets to ensure a level playing field and proper recognition of the category.

Purpose Weight concern is a barrier to smoking cessation. We examined the impact of weight concern on post-cessation weight gain, abstinence and program engagement. Design Randomized-controlled trial. Setting Telephone-based and group-based intervention sessions. Subjects 305 participants were randomized and analyzed. Intervention Participants were randomized to receive a self-guided intervention, a weight loss intervention, or a weight stability intervention prior to all receiving the same smoking cessation intervention. Measures Level of weight concern on three measures, point-prevalence abstinence, weight change, and session attendance at 12 months. Analysis Continuous and discrete outcomes were compared between weight-concerned and non-weight-concerned participants using two-sample t-tests and chi-square tests respectively. Results There were no significant differences in weight change (range: +1.77, −1.91 kg) when comparing weight-concerned and non-weight-concerned participants. Point-prevalence abstinence ranged from 36% to 64%, with no differences by condition based on level of weight concern. There were no significant differences in session attendance by weight concern (Weight sessions: 50–70%, Smoking cessation sessions: 41–56%, Booster sessions: 28–45%). Weight concern, on all measures, significantly decreased between screening and 2 months (after the weight management intervention), for most of the comparisons made overall and by condition. Conclusion It may not be necessary to screen for weight concerns in smoking cessation and/or post-cessation weight management programs, as the trial interventions were beneficial regardless of weight concern.

The concept of weight management has gained currency in present political and social discourses on weight and health, organizing the various efforts to fight obesity and to assist individuals in controlling their weight. In this paper, we ask whether weight management is becoming rooted also in the everyday life of individuals. Adopting a practice-theoretical approach we study whether weight management constitutes an intelligible and distinct entity to people problematizing their weight. By analysing data generated by focus group discussions with Finnish consumers we investigate the ways in which people understand the concept of weight management, what kinds of techniques they use in order to manage their weight, and what kind of emotional and normative positions they take with respect to weight management. We analyse weight management in relation to eating, but acknowledge the role of another practices, such as exercising. We conclude that weight management is not a clearly defined entity, but located at the intersection of more established practices, healthy eating and slimming. We end our article by discussing the policy-implications of our findings.

It has been argued that the willpower of our citizenry hasn't measurably changed during the decades in which our nation's waistlines have measurably expanded. I agree, and I'd also submit that a weakening of political willpower and a lack of moral courage among those of us called to leadership is the more disturbing culprit. A case needs to be made that what we know and believe as a profession is most readily measured by what we permit to happen. As you review the sum of the research in this special issue on activity, weight, and diabetes, I anticipate you will share my observation that the current action in health promotion is less about dieting, exercise prescriptions, and chronic condition management and more about the right mix of head, heart, and feet. That is, we are testing the interaction effects of education and attitudes against culture and environment and assessing how the interacting effects of these variables influence motivation and action. This special journal issue shows how great results are occurring in health promotion every day via education and culture change, and it will also bolster your courage to carry on with morality and heart.

Given elevated levels of overweight/obesity among today's youth (Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008), and associated negative physical, emotional, and psychological consequences (e.g., Faith, et al., 1997; Must & Anderson, 2003), weight control programs must be critically examined. The purpose of this study was to gain understanding of youths' experiences in a commercially available weight management program with a holistic approach. Participants included four purposefully sampled male and female youth aged 10-18, engaged in a 16-week program. Participants engaged in a semi-structured interview exploring their experiences within the program. Results indicated youth experienced positive development in the areas of physical, psychological and social skills, and highlighted specific mechanisms by which the program facilitated this development including the holistic approach, parent and peer engagement, and the required work ethic. Youth also reported negative experiences due to lack of autonomy, not reaching weight loss goals, and low enjoyment. Practical implications and future research directions are discussed.

Purpose. Examine the long-term impact of a telephone-based weight management program among participants recruited from worksite settings. Design. Pre/post quasi-experimental design comparing weight loss and related behaviors between program completers and noncompleters. Setting. Ten large private-sector and public-sector employers. Subjects. Overweight or obese participants (n = 1298) enrolled in a telephone-based weight management program. Intervention. Individually tailored telephone-based weight management coaching program that included up to five calls over a median of 250 days. Measures. Weight, body mass index, and lifestyle behaviors assessed via health risk assessment at baseline and 1-year follow-up. Analysis. Chi-square and one-way analysis of variance procedures were used to assess between-group differences in weight and associated behaviors, with criterion for significance set at p < .05. Results. Among weight management program participants, 48% of program completers and 47% of noncompleters lost weight, but program completers averaged 2.6 times more weight loss than noncompleters. Improvements in physical activity, eating habits, and overall health status were reported for completers. Conclusion. The weight loss attained among participants who lost weight, along with the improvements in physical activity and nutrition practices, suggests that a telephone-based weight management program of modest intensity can have a positive impact on the health of obese or overweight worksite participants. (Am J Health Promot 2011;25[3]:186–189.)