Abstract

Obesity is a leading health threat. Determination of optimal therapies for long-term weight loss remains a challenge. Evidence suggests that successful weight loss depends on the compliance of weight loss program participants with their weight loss efforts. Despite this, little is known regarding the attributes influencing such compliance. PURPOSE To assess the relative importance of weight loss program attributes to its participants, and to express these preferences in terms of their willingness to pay (WTP) for such attributes in a sample of 165 overweight adults enrolled in community weight loss programs using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). METHODS A DCE survey was used to obtain participant preferences for the following attributes of a weight loss program: cost, travel time required to attend, extent of physician involvement (e.g., none, monthly, every 2 weeks), components (e.g., diet, exercise, behavior change) emphasized, and focus (e.g., group, individual). The rate at which participants were willing to trade between attributes and the WTP for different configurations of combined attributes were estimated using regression modeling. RESULTS All attributes investigated appeared to be important. For example, participants were willing to pay \$72.00 more for a level more of physician involvement in their 3-month weight management program. The most important unit change (moving from one attribute level to another) was “program components emphasized” (e.g., moving from diet only to diet and exercise). CONCLUSION The majority of participants were willing to pay for weight loss programs that reflected their preferences. These preferences are important to include in policy-level decision-making. The DCE tool was useful in quantifying and understanding individual preferences in obesity management, and provided information that could help to maximize the efficiency of existing weight loss programs or the design of new programs.

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