Research
Adherence
Skills training, specifically relapse prevention and problem-solving skills, combined with extended care, significantly improves long-term weight maintenance compared to extended care alone or no further contact.
Don't just learn about weight maintenance; practice it with support. Combine skills like problem-solving and relapse prevention with regular check-ins (extended care). This combination is far more effective than just learning the skills or just having check-ins alone.
GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Combining relapse prevention training with extended care regimens, however, appears to be effective in promoting long-term adherence and weight maintenance.
Why this rating
Supported by specific RCTs cited (Perri et al., Baum et al.).
Source
Long-Term Adherence to Health Behavior Change
Kathryn R. Middleton et al. · American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine · 2013
DOI 10.1177/1559827613488867
narrative_reviewCited 482×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Physiological changes following weight loss, including decreased resting metabolic rate and increased hunger hormones (ghrelin) and decreased satiety hormones (leptin), actively promote weight regain and make long-term maintenance difficult.Strong
- Extended care interventions (face-to-face, telephone, or internet-based) significantly improve long-term adherence and weight maintenance compared to standard care with no follow-up.Good
Related findings · Adherence
- Regular physical activity (at least 150 minutes/week of moderate-intensity) reduces all-cause and cardiovascular mortality by 20-30% and lowers the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25-35%.Strong
- Increasing physical activity from a sedentary lifestyle to an active one in middle adulthood significantly reduces the risk of coronary events compared to remaining sedentary.Strong
- Resistance exercise is the only intervention capable of consistently restoring muscle function and strength in sarcopenia, partially overcoming age-related anabolic resistance.Strong
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