Gaining pounds by losing pounds: preferences for lifestyle interventions to reduce obesity

While there is evidence that weight-loss interventions reduce morbidity, indications of their acceptability are limited. Understanding preferences for lifestyle interventions will help policymakers design interventions. We used a discrete choice experiment to investigate preferences for lifestyle in...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Health economics, policy and law policy and law, 2015-04, Vol.10 (2), p.161-182
Main Authors: Ryan, Mandy, Yi, Deokhee, Avenell, Alison, Douglas, Flora, Aucott, Lorna, van Teijlingen, Edwin, Vale, Luke
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Adults
Behavior
Behavioural economics
Blood pressure
Cardiovascular disease
Choice Behavior
Compensation
Cost-Benefit Analysis
Costs
Data collection
Diabetes
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - prevention & control
Diet
Dietary change
Disease prevention
Econometrics
Exercise
Female
Financial incentives
Health Behavior
Health care policy
Health economics
Humans
Hypertension
Hypertension - prevention & control
Intervention
Life Style
Life styles
Lifestyles
Male
Middle Aged
Models, Econometric
Morbidity
Obesity
Obesity - psychology
Obesity - therapy
Overweight
Personal health
Physical activity
Studies
Systematic review
United Kingdom
Weight control
Weight Loss
Willingness to pay
Young Adult
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Summary:While there is evidence that weight-loss interventions reduce morbidity, indications of their acceptability are limited. Understanding preferences for lifestyle interventions will help policymakers design interventions. We used a discrete choice experiment to investigate preferences for lifestyle interventions to reduce adult obesity. Attributes focused on: the components of the programme; weight change; short-term and longer-term health gains; time spent on the intervention and financial costs incurred. Data were collected through a web-based questionnaire, with 504 UK adults responding. Despite evidence that dietary interventions are the most effective way to lose weight, respondents preferred lifestyle interventions involving physical activity. While the evidence suggests that behaviour change support improves effectiveness of interventions, its value to participants was limited. A general preference to maintain current lifestyles, together with the sensitivity of take up to financial costs, suggests financial incentives could be used to help maximise uptake of healthy lifestyle interventions. An important target group for change, men, required more compensation to take up healthier lifestyles. Those of normal weight, who will increase in weight over time if they do not change their lifestyle, required the highest compensation. Policymakers face challenges in inducing people to change their behaviour and adopt healthy lifestyles.
ISSN:1744-1331
1744-134X
DOI:10.1017/S1744133114000413