Clients' experiences of a weight-management programme : a qualitative study

Weight-management programmes to address obesity are an important strategy for improving community health. Some enrollees in this type of a programme are long term, repeatedly enrolling term after term, while others are short term, enrolling on average for two terms. This paper describes and compares the experiences of long- and short-term enrollees of a community weight-management programmes. Six long-term and six short-term enrollees in the maintenance stage of their behaviour change volunteered to participate in interviews. Both groups found the programme to be beneficial and enjoyable, and said they had learned strategies for weight control that empowered them to manage and sustain their weight loss. Long-termers identified they had greater need for weight monitoring and ongoing support. The recommendations are to review aspects of such programmes, address ongoing support outside the class and investigate further the greater reliance of long-term enrollees on external support.