Patterns of Health Behavior for Weight Loss among Adults Using Obesity Clinics

Abstract

This ethnography was done to explore patterns of weight management behavior among adults using obesity clinics. The participants were 12 adults who were overweight or obese and 2 family members. Data were collected from iterative fieldwork in the obesity clinics of two hospitals. Data were analyzed using text analysis and taxonomic methods. Weight management behaviors among participants varied according to the recognition of the body and motivation for weight control, Participants' behavior was discussed in the socio-cultural context of obesity. Patterns of weight management behavior among participants were categorized by focus: strategic self-oriented type including managements for the body as a social asset and for health, selective neglect type, and passive group value-oriented type including type dependent on others and managements for beauty. Participants' weight management behavior was guided by folk concepts of body and health. and constructed within the socio-cultural context. It is necessary for health care providers to understand physical and psychological problems arising from the repeated trials, excessive control of weight, and Western cultural discourse on beauty ideals among adults who are overweight or obese. Therefore, interventions should be tailored to address individual and community needs.