Behavioral approaches to the problems of obesity.
The same self-management kit you use for tantrums works for weight—just aim it at food and movement.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The authors pulled together every behavioral tactic used to treat obesity up to the year 2000. They did not run a new experiment. They simply mapped the field.
They grouped tools into three buckets: goal setting, self-monitoring, and stimulus control. These are the same self-management skills you teach in any ABA program.
What they found
No single magic bullet emerged. Instead, the review shows that lasting weight loss needs a package. Clients must watch their own behavior, set small daily goals, and change what is in the fridge.
The paper ends with a call to action: use behavior analysis first, before drugs or surgery.
How this fits with other research
Akhtar et al. (2022) looked again at behavioral weight programs, but only for kids with intellectual disability. They found just seven tiny studies. The 2000 review is therefore still the widest lens on what works.
Alfonsson et al. (2015) tested group behavioral activation in adults with both obesity and binge-eating disorder. Mood improved, yet binge eating stayed flat. This extends the 2000 message: you must add eating-specific cues to any self-management plan.
Linder et al. (2021) pushed the idea further into autism. They built a dog-walking protocol that fits inside home ABA sessions. The 2000 tactics travel well across populations when you tweak the context.
Why it matters
You already have the tools. Write a daily step goal on an index card. Teach the client to record calories in a phone app. Remove chips from the counter and place fruit at eye level. These three moves still beat most medical fixes. Start there next Monday.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Obesity is a complex and increasingly prevalent disorder that can confer a number of medical, social, and psychological difficulties. As a result, an array of treatment strategies falling under the generic umbrella of "behavior therapy" have been developed and continue to be refined and expanded. In this article, different behavioral approaches to the problems of obesity are outlined and reviewed, specifically, those that target (a) body weight or composition, (b) lifestyle factors and other health-related variables, and (c) related psychological variables such as self-esteem and assertiveness, as well as negative attitudes toward obese persons held by nonobese individuals. For each of these targets of change, approaches to both individual- and group-level interventions are considered. Suggestions for future research and clinical work are offered. Throughout, the importance of conceptualizing obesity as a multifaceted problem is underscored. The necessity for explicit target goals when attempting to modify behavior is also highlighted.
Behavior modification, 2000 · doi:10.1177/0145445500244001