Participants' Explanatory Model of Being Overweight and Their Experiences of 2 Weight Loss Interventions
Open accessAbstract
PURPOSE: We explored participants' accounts of weight loss interventions to illuminate the reasons behind the greater weight loss observed among those attending a commercial program compared with those receiving standard care in a recent large-scale trial. We further wanted to examine how participants' general explanatory model of being overweight related to the 2 different interventions. METHODS: Our study was based on thematic analysis of semistructured telephone interviews with a purposeful sample of 16 female participants from the UK center of a randomized controlled trial of weight loss in primary care. RESULTS: The commercial provider delivered weight management in a nonmedical context, which mirrors how participants regard being overweight. Participants felt they needed support and motivation rather than education, and valued the ease of access and frequent contact the commercial provider offered. Some participants preferred individual level support with their primary care clinician, and all were positive about the opportunity to access support through the primary care setting. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care referral to a commercial weight loss program for people who do not require specific clinical care appears to be in accord with their general explanatory model about being overweight, offering motivation and support to lose weight outside a strictly medical context. This approach may not be effective or acceptable for everyone, however, and there are likely to be considerable variations in the explanatory models held. Findings support the argument that a range of evidence-based options for weight management should be available in primary care.
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
Some patients have a preference for weight management delivered through primary care.
“Some patients also have a preference for weight management delivered through primary care.21”
From A brief intervention for weight control based on habit-formation theory delivered through primary care: results from a randomised controlled trial (2017) · cites this paper as [21]
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Cites
Qualitative research in health care: Analysing qualitative data
Pope, C. (2000) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.320.7227.114 · Cited by 8,131 · see citing works
Kleinman, A., EISENBERG, L., & GOOD, B. (1978) · Annals of Internal Medicine · doi:10.7326/0003-4819-88-2-251 · Cited by 2,907 · see citing works
Comparing Telephone and Face-to-Face Qualitative Interviewing: a Research Note
Sturges, J. E., & Hanrahan, K. J. (2004) · Qualitative Research · doi:10.1177/1468794104041110 · Cited by 1,577 · see citing works
Franz, M. J., VanWormer, J. J., Crain, A. L., Boucher, J. L., Histon, T., Caplan, W., Bowman, J. D., & Pronk, N. P. (2007) · Journal of the American Dietetic Association · doi:10.1016/j.jada.2007.07.017 · Cited by 1,559 · see citing works
Qualitative Research in Health Care
Pope, C., & Mays, N. 1. (2019) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9781119410867 · Cited by 1,117 · see citing works
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
Iglehart, J. K. (2001) · New England Journal of Medicine · doi:10.1056/nejm200112273452617 · Cited by 550 · see citing works
Jebb, S. A., Ahern, A. L., Olson, A. D., Aston, L. M., Holzapfel, C., Stoll, J., Amann-Gassner, U., Simpson, A. E., Fuller, N. R., Pearson, S., et al. (2011) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(11)61344-5 · Cited by 422 · see citing works
Self-citationCulture, Illness, and Care: Clinical Lessons From Anthropologic and Cross-Cultural Research
Kleinman, A., Eisenberg, L., & Good, B. J. (2006) · FOCUS The Journal of Lifelong Learning in Psychiatry · doi:10.1176/foc.4.1.140 · Cited by 375 · see citing works
Jolly, K., Lewis, A., Beach, J., Denley, J., Adab, P., Deeks, J. J., Daley, A., & Aveyard, P. (2011) · BMJ · doi:10.1136/bmj.d6500 · Cited by 359 · see citing works
Hm, R., Laws, R., Reckless, J. P. D., Lean, M. E. J., & Counterweight Project Team (2008) · British Journal of General Practice · doi:10.3399/bjgp08x319710 · Cited by 206 · see citing works
Thomas, S. L., Hyde, J., Karunaratne, A. S., Kausman, R., & Komesaroff, P. A. (2008) · Nutrition Journal · doi:10.1186/1475-2891-7-34 · Cited by 162 · see citing works
Ahern, A. L., Olson, A. D., Aston, L. M., & Jebb, S. A. (2011) · BMC Public Health · doi:10.1186/1471-2458-11-434 · Cited by 125 · see citing works
Self-citationTham, M., & Young, D. Y. L. (2008) · BMC Family Practice · doi:10.1186/1471-2296-9-66 · Cited by 75 · see citing works
A Primary Care Intervention for Weight Loss: Results of a Randomized Controlled Pilot Study
Tsai, A. G., Wadden, T. A., Rogers, M. A., Day, S. C., Moore, R. H., & Islam, B. J. (2010) · Obesity · doi:10.1038/oby.2009.457 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Stubbs, R. J., Pallister, C., Whybrow, S., Avery, A., & Lavin, J. H. (2011) · Obesity Facts · doi:10.1159/000327249 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Weight-management interventions in primary care: a pilot randomised controlled trial
Nanchahal, K., Townsend, J. L., Letley, L. H., Haslam, D. B., Wellings, K., & Haines, A. (2009) · British Journal of General Practice · doi:10.3399/bjgp09x420617 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
What Consumers Want to Know about Commercial Weight‐Loss Programs: A Pilot Investigation**
Wang, S. S., Wadden, T. A., Womble, L. G., & Nonas, C. (2003) · Obesity Research · doi:10.1038/oby.2003.9 · Cited by 14 · see citing works
Flagged first, then by citations
1 of the 18 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Screening and brief intervention for obesity in primary care: a parallel, two-arm, randomised trial
Aveyard, P. N., Lewis, A. L., Tearne, S., Hood, K., Christian-Brown, A., Adab, P., Begh, R. A., Jolly, K. B., Daley, A., Farley, A., et al. (2016) · The Lancet · doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(16)31893-1 · Cited by 298 · see citing works
Self-citationHartmann‐Boyce, J., Johns, D. J., Jebb, S. A., Summerbell, C. D., Aveyard, P. N., & Behavioural Weight Management Review Group (2014) · Obesity Reviews · doi:10.1111/obr.12220 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
Self-citationBeeken, R. J., Leurent, B., Vickerstaff, V, Wilson, R., Croker, H., Morris, S., Omar, R. Z., Nazareth, I., & Wardle, J. (2017) · International Journal of Obesity · doi:10.1038/ijo.2016.206 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
“21 Brief interventions that enable health professionals to deliver effective advice in primary care could provide an important tool.”
Is self-weighing an effective tool for weight loss: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis
Madigan, C. D., Daley, A., Lewis, A. L., Aveyard, P. N., & Jolly, K. B. (2015) · International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity · doi:10.1186/s12966-015-0267-4 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Ahern, A. L., Aveyard, P. N., Boyland, E. J., Halford, J. C. G., & Jebb, S. A. (2016) · British Journal of General Practice · doi:10.3399/bjgp16x684337 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Self-citationThe evolution of policy and actions to tackle obesity in E ngland
Jebb, S. A., Aveyard, P. N., & Hawkes, C. (2013) · Obesity Reviews · doi:10.1111/obr.12093 · Cited by 57 · see citing works
Self-citationWeight change among people randomized to minimal intervention control groups in weight loss trials
Johns, D. J., Hartmann‐Boyce, J., Jebb, S. A., Aveyard, P., & on behalf of the Behavioural Weight Management Review Group (2016) · Obesity · doi:10.1002/oby.21255 · Cited by 45 · see citing works
Self-citationSutcliffe, K., Meléndez‐Torres, G. J., Burchett, H., Richardson, M. A., Rees, R. W., & Thomas, J. (2018) · Health Expectations · doi:10.1111/hex.12657 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
Experiences of a commercial weight-loss programme after primary care referral: a qualitative study
Allen, J. T., Cohn, S. R., & Ahern, A. L. (2015) · British Journal of General Practice · doi:10.3399/bjgp15x684409 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Self-citationAbbott, S., Shuttlewood, E., Flint, S. W., Chesworth, P., & Parretti, H. M. (2022) · EClinicalMedicine · doi:10.1016/j.eclinm.2022.101770 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Borek, A., Smith, J. R., Greaves, C. J., Gillison, F., Tarrant, M., Morgan‐Trimmer, S., McCabe, R., & Abraham, C. (2019) · Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation · doi:10.3310/eme06030 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Graham, J., Tudor, K., Jebb, S. A., Lewis, A. L., Tearne, S., Adab, P., Begh, R. A., Jolly, K. B., Daley, A., Farley, A., et al. (2019) · BMC Medicine · doi:10.1186/s12916-019-1284-y · Cited by 16 · see citing works
Self-citationAnalyzing the Complexity of Behavioural Factors Influencing Weight in Adults
Giabbanelli, P. J. (2018) · Smart innovation, systems and technologies · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-77911-9_10 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Hsieh, J., Hsu, M., & Wang, Y. (2016) · Medical Education Online · doi:10.3402/meo.v21.32561 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
Mechanisms of Action in a Behavioral Weight-Management Program: Latent Growth Curve Analysis
Bates, S. E., Norman, P. E., Breeze, P. R., Brennan, A., & Ahern, A. L. (2021) · Annals of Behavioral Medicine · doi:10.1093/abm/kaab019 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Self-citationDigital consultations for weight management in the NHS: A qualitative evaluation
Nicholls, W., Lloyd, J., Shepherd, K., McArdle, P., Tellwright, H., & Devonport, T. J. (2023) · Obesity Research & Clinical Practice · doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2023.03.003 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Tyldesley‐Marshall, N., Greenfield, S., Parretti, H. M., Jolly, K. B., Jebb, S. A., & Daley, A. (2021) · BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth · doi:10.1186/s12884-021-03905-3 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Self-citationNewlands, R. S. N., Ntessalen, M., Clark, J., Fielding, S., Hoddinott, P., Heys, S. D., McNeill, G., & Craig, L. C. A. (2019) · Pilot and Feasibility Studies · doi:10.1186/s40814-019-0405-x · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Undergraduate UK nutrition education might not adequately address weight management
Rogerson, D., Soltani, H., & Copeland, R. J. (2015) · Public Health Nutrition · doi:10.1017/s1368980015001305 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Brief Interventions for Weight Loss in Primary Care
Lewis, A. L., Aveyard, P. N., & Jebb, S. A. (2013) · Current Obesity Reports · doi:10.1007/s13679-013-0073-8 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Self-citationMadigan, C. D., Roalfe, A. K., Daley, A., & Jolly, K. B. (2017) · Obesity Research & Clinical Practice · doi:10.1016/j.orcp.2017.06.003 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
An Assessment of Weight Loss Management in Health System Primary Care Practices
Suresh, K., Willems, E., Williams, J., Gritz, R. M., Dickinson, L. M., Perreault, L., & Holtrop, J. S. (2022) · The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine · doi:10.3122/jabfm.2022.220224r1 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Parretti, H. M., Ives, N. J., Tearne, S., Vince, A., Greenfield, S., Jolly, K. B., Jebb, S. A., Frew, E. J., Yardley, L., Little, P. S., et al. (2020) · BMJ Open · doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2019-033027 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Self-citationDaley, A., Jolly, K. B., Ives, N. J., Jebb, S. A., Tearne, S., Greenfield, S., Yardley, L., Little, P. S., Tyldesley‐Marshall, N., Bensoussane, H., et al. (2021) · Health Technology Assessment · doi:10.3310/hta25490 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Self-citationLiapi, F., Chater, A., Pescheny, J. V., Randhawa, G., & Pappas, Y. (2022) · International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health · doi:10.3390/ijerph19020817 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Jones, R. A. P., Richards, R., Palat, R., Hughes, C. A., Hill, A. J., Vincent, A., Griffin, S. J., Ahern, A. L., & Duschinsky, R. (2022) · International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-Being · doi:10.1080/17482631.2022.2123093 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Self-citationIn This Issue: Practice Change--Context Matters
Stange, K. C. (2013) · The Annals of Family Medicine · doi:10.1370/afm.1532 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Guess, N. D., Wane, S., Albury, C., Breeze, P. R., Brennan, A., Joyce, J. B., Galal, U., Morris, E. M., Newbert, C., Mitchell, C. A., et al. (2025) · Contemporary Clinical Trials · doi:10.1016/j.cct.2025.108050 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citationStaniford, L. J., Radley, D., Gately, P., Blackshaw, J., Thompson, L., & Coulton, V. (2020) · International Journal of Workplace Health Management · doi:10.1108/ijwhm-04-2019-0050 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Exploring attributions of causality for child undernutrition: Qualitative analysis in Lusaka, Zambia
Lufumpa, N., Lavis, A., Caleyachetty, R., Henry, M., Kabombwe, S., & Manaseki‐Holland, S. (2021) · Maternal and Child Nutrition · doi:10.1111/mcn.13237 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Characterising whole grains in nutrition research and practice
Dalton, S. M. C. (2014) · Research Online (University of Wollongong)
Behavioural weight management practices within primary care
Madigan, C. D. (2014) · University of Birmingham Institutional Research Archive (University of Birmingham)
Madigan, C. D., Hill, A. J., Caterson, I. D., Burk, J., Hendy, C., & Chalkley, A. E. (2023) · Nutrients · doi:10.3390/nu15061389
Munafo, J. (2024) · OBM Integrative and Complementary Medicine · doi:10.21926/obm.icm.2401020
A Qualitative Study on the Feasibility and Acceptability of Concealed WeighingPreprint
Siemers, N., Carrière, K., Gao, X., & Knaüper, B. (2025) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-6946872/v1
Szypula, J., Jarvstad, A., Jones, L., & Tapper, K. (2025) · JMIR Formative Research · doi:10.2196/72645
Tyldesley‐Marshall, N., Greenfield, S. M., Parretti, H. M., Jolly, K., Jebb, S., & Daley, A. (2021) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.14881005
Self-citationTyldesley‐Marshall, N., Greenfield, S. M., Parretti, H. M., Jolly, K., Jebb, S., & Daley, A. J. (2021) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.14880999
Self-citationTyldesley‐Marshall, N., Greenfield, S. M., Parretti, H. M., Jolly, K., Jebb, S., & Daley, A. J. (2021) · Figshare · doi:10.6084/m9.figshare.14881002
Self-citation
- Authors
- Ahern, A. L., Boyland, E. J., Jebb, S. A., & Cohn, S. R.
- Affiliations
- MRC Elsie Widdowson Laboratory (GB)
- University of Cambridge (GB)
- Venue
- The Annals of Family Medicine
- Publisher
- Annals of Family Medicine
- Published
- 2013-05-01
- Volume
- 11
- Issue
- 3
- Pages
- 251-257
- ISSN
- 1544-1709 (ISSN-L)
- 1544-1717
- PMC
- PMC3659142
- OpenAlex
- W2151564875
- Cited by
- 39
- References
- 18
- Citations by year
- 2025: 3 · 2024: 1 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 1 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 3 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 3
- FWCI
- 8.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- diamond
- doi.org
- Locations
- The Annals of Family Medicine (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Sanofi
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › Pharmacy › Obesity and Health Practices
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Obesity, Physical Activity, Diet
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Eating Disorders and Behaviors
- Keywords
- overweight, weight loss interventions, explanatory models, primary care referral, patient experience
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Diet, Reducing, Female, United Kingdom, Humans, Middle Aged, Obesity, Patient Participation, Body Mass Index, Patient Satisfaction, Social Media, Weight Reduction Programs
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
