Abstract
Background: Unrealistic patient weight loss expectations in treatment of obesity may hamper the modest success which can actually be achieved.
Setting: Academic Obesity Unit Day Care Centre.
Objective: Description of weight loss expectations and weight loss concerns by questionnaire analyses.
Results: Patients were severely obese, with a median initial body mass index (BMI) of 40.7 kg/m2. Weight loss expectations were generally unrealistic, with women hoping for a loss up to 42%, and men for 29% of their baseline weight (P<0.001). No effects of age on actual weight loss or weight loss expectations were observed.
Conclusion: Gender differences in weight loss expectations may be important to acknowledge in future development of obesity treatment programmes. Realistic treatment outcome should be described early in a programme to faciliate compliance.
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Linné, Y., Hemmingsson, E., Adolfsson, B. et al. Patient expectations of obesity treatment—the experience from a day-care unit. Int J Obes 26, 739–741 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801969
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0801969
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