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Traditional treatment approaches
Page 365 Black blue OBESITY AND CORONARY HEART DISEASE 365 What does all this research mean? The evidence for the causes of obesity is therefore complex and can be summarized as follows: I There is good evidence for a genetic basis to obesity. The evidence for how this is expressed is weak. I The prevalence of obesity has increased at a similar rate to decreases in physical activity. I There is some evidence that the obese exercise less than the non-obese. I The prevalence of obesity has increased at a rate unrelated to the overall decrease in calorie consumption. I There is no evidence that the obese eat more calories than the non-obese. I The relative increase in fat is parallel to the increase in obesity. I The obese may eat proportionally more fat than the non-obese. Therefore, the following points would seem likely. I Some individuals have a genetic tendency to be obese. I Obesity is related to under-exercise. I Obesity is related to consuming relatively more fat and relatively less carbohydrates. Therefore, the causes of obesity remain complex and unclear. Perhaps an integration of all theories is needed before proper conclusions can be drawn. OBESITY TREATMENT Traditional treatment approaches The traditional treatment approach to obesity was a corrective one, the assumption being that obesity was a product of overeating and under-activity. Treatment approaches therefore focused on encouraging the obese to eat ‘normally’ and this consistently involved putting them on a diet. Stuart (1967) and Stuart and Davis (1972) developed a behavioural programme for obesity involving monitoring food intake, modifying cues for inappropriate eating and encouraging self-reward for appropriate behaviour, which was widely adopted by hospitals and clinics. The programme aimed to encourage eating in response to physiological hunger and not in response to mood cues such as boredom or depression, or in response to external cues such as the sight and smell of food or the sight of other people eating. In 1958, Stunkard concluded his review of the past 30 years’ attempts to promote weight loss in the obese with the statement, ‘Most obese persons will not stay in treatment for obesity. Of those who stay in treatment, most will not lose weight, and of those who do lose weight, most will regain it’ (Stunkard 1958). More recent evaluations of their effectiveness indicate that although traditional behavioural therapies may lead to initial weight losses of on average 0.5 kg per week (Brownell and Wadden 1992), ‘weight losses achieved by behavioural treatments for obesity are not well maintained’. Page 365 Black blue