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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Boston, Massachusetts » Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #388948
Research Project: Energy Met.: Novel Approaches to Facilitating Successful Energy Regulation in Aging--Obesity & Met.: Role of Adipocyte Metabolism in the Development of Obesity and Associated Metabolic Complications

Location: Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging

Title: Application of social cognitive theory in weight management: Time for a biological component?

Author
item ANTON, STEPHEN - University Of Florida
item DAS, SAI KRUPA - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University
item MCLAREN, CHRISTIAN - University Of Florida
item ROBERTS, SUSAN - Jean Mayer Human Nutrition Research Center On Aging At Tufts University

Submitted to: Obesity
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/22/2021
Publication Date: 10/27/2021
Citation: Anton, S., Das, S., Mclaren, C., Roberts, S. 2021. Application of social cognitive theory in weight management: Time for a biological component?. Obesity. 29(12):1982-1986. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23257.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.23257

Interpretive Summary: Social Cognitive Theory is a health behavior change model that has been widely adopted as a basis for behavioral interventions for weight loss and weight loss maintenance in adults with obesity. However, this model has been relatively ineffective in facilitating adherence to recommended lifestyle changes required for sustainable weight loss maintenance. We describe here a proposed revision to Social Cognitive Theory that recognizes that biological factors including hunger and satiety are also important influencers in health behavior change. The new model allows for greater individualization of recommendations for healthy weight management, and is therefore consistent with new precision-health initiatives.

Technical Abstract: Despite the utility of Social Cognitive Theory for facilitating individual behavior changes needed for initial weight loss, this model has been less effective in facilitating adherence to recommended lifestyle changes required for sustainable weight loss maintenance. One potential reason for the limited long-term effectiveness of lifestyle interventions guided by this model is that it does not consider the important influence that biology can have on weight-relevant behaviors, both during weight loss and weight loss maintenance, via sensations of hunger and satiety and changes in energy expenditure. We describe here a proposed revision to Social Cognitive Theory that allows for biological factors to exist in reciprocal determinism with behavioral, environmental, and personal factors, with the goal of creating a theoretical basis for lifestyle interventions with greater personalization that facilitate better long-term adherence and improve weight loss maintenance.