Dieters’ perceptions of why diets fail: developing and testing a multi-factorial model using structural equation modelling.

Kiera Buchanan (). Dieters’ perceptions of why diets fail: developing and testing a multi-factorial model using structural equation modelling. Professional Doctorate, School of Psychology, The University of Queensland.

       
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Author Kiera Buchanan
Thesis Title Dieters’ perceptions of why diets fail: developing and testing a multi-factorial model using structural equation modelling.
School, Centre or Institute School of Psychology
Institution The University of Queensland
Thesis type Professional Doctorate
Supervisor Dr Jeanie Sheffield
Total pages 164
Language eng
Subjects 170106 Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology
1701 Psychology
Abstract/Summary Rates of overweight and obesity have reached epidemic proportions worldwide, with Australia showing some of the highest rates in the Western world. Excess weight is associated with a range of physical, social, and psychological consequences. Dieting to lose weight is advocated as a means of addressing weightrelated issues in overweight and obese individuals. However, reviews of the literature report high rates of attrition and weight regain, leading many researchers to question dieting as a reliable weight-loss method. With a large proportion of the Australian population being overweight or obese, it is important that effective weight-loss interventions are developed. Although dieting and weight loss is a popular topic, the reasons why people generally fail to adhere to diets or maintain weight loss remains purely speculative. While researchers have drawn on theoretical models and clinical observations to draw tentative propositions regarding the mechanisms of diet failure, only one study has examined this directly. Green, Larkin, and Sullivan (2009)investigated the explanations for diet failure through a focus group with 10 British dieters. However, the limitations of the Green et al. (2009) study, most notable being the small sample size, prevented the generalisability of the study’s findings and warranted further investigation. The purpose of the current study was then to develop a multi-factorial model of diet failure informed by the literature and dieters themselves. In doing so, the study aimed to broaden the themes reported by Green et al. (2009) by including other processes and factors identified in the dieting literature. The results of the current study support the conceptualisation of diet failure using a multi-factorial model such as that tested in the current study. The main hypotheses of the study were supported, with direct and indirect pathways confirmed to be significantly correlated. Additional and unexpected results of the study included direct relationships central to the dieting literature found to be mediated by other variables and thus, more complex than currently stated in the literature. Collectively, these findings have important theoretical and applied implications.
Keyword dieting experiences
Obesity
weight concerns and influences

 
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Created: Fri, 16 Nov 2012, 11:27:01 EST by Kiera Buchanan on behalf of Faculty of Social & Behavioural Sciences