Research
Adherence
Higher baseline self-efficacy for nutrition change and higher outcome expectations are associated with increased odds of trial attrition, suggesting that overconfidence may lead to disappointment and dropout when weight loss is slower than expected.
If you are highly confident in your ability to lose weight, be aware that unrealistic expectations can lead to dropout if progress is slow. Focus on building sustainable habits rather than rapid results to maintain long-term engagement.
GoodQualifiesHIGH confidence
Having higher baseline food addiction and self-efficacy was linked to treatment failure.
Why this rating
Statistically significant association (p=0.04 for self-efficacy attrition) in a large RCT.
Source
Baseline Psychosocial and Demographic Factors Associated with Study Attrition and 12‐Month Weight Gain in the DIETFITS Trial
Priya Fielding‐Singh et al. · Obesity · 2019
DOI 10.1002/oby.22650
rct · n=609Cited 52×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
More from this paper
- Higher baseline levels of food addiction, as measured by the Yale Food Addiction Scale, are associated with increased odds of both trial attrition and 12-month weight gain in behavioral weight-loss interventions.Good
- Identifying as non-Hispanic white, being married or living with a partner, and having higher family encouragement are associated with lower odds of 12-month weight gain among trial completers.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
This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →