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Theoretical and Behavioral Mediators of a Weight Loss Intervention for Men

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Objective

Men are currently underrepresented in weight loss trials despite similar obesity rates, which limit our understanding about the most effective elements of treatment for men. The purpose of this study was to test the theoretical (autonomous motivation, self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, and self-regulation) and behavioral (calorie intake, physical activity, self-weighing) mediators of a men-only, Internet-delivered weight loss intervention focused on innovative and tailored treatment elements specifically for men.

Method

Data comes from a 6-month randomized trial (N = 107) testing the intervention compared to a waitlist control group. Changes in the theoretical mediators between baseline and 3 months were tested as mediators of the intervention effect on weight change at 6 months in both single and multiple mediator models. Changes in behaviors between baseline and 6 months were tested in the same manner.

Results

The intervention produced greater weight losses compared to the control group (−5.57 kg ± 6.6 vs. −0.65 kg ± 3.3, p < 0.001) and significant changes (p’s < 0.05) in most of the theoretical and behavior mediators. In multiple mediator models, changes in diet-related autonomous motivation, self-efficacy, and self-regulation all significantly mediated the relationship between the intervention and weight loss. The intervention effect was also mediated by changes in dietary intake and self-weighing frequency.

Conclusions

By testing the theoretical mediators of this intervention in a multiple mediator context, this study contributes to current knowledge related to the development of weight loss interventions for men and suggests that interventions should target diet-focused constructs.

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by funding provided to M. M. Crane through the Cancer Control Education Program (5R25-CA057726) at Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at The University North Carolina at Chapel Hill and through the Dissertation Completion Fellowship provided by The Graduate School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The authors would like to thank Dr. Kurt Ribisl for his assistance in developing and critically evaluating this study while serving on M. M. Crane’s dissertation committee. Clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT01843595.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Melissa M. Crane Ph.D., J. Michael Bowling Ph.D. & Deborah F. Tate Ph.D.

  2. Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, 1300 S. 2nd Street, Suite 300, Minneapolis, MN, 55454, USA

    Melissa M. Crane Ph.D.

  3. Department of Nutrition, Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Dianne S. Ward Ed.D. & Deborah F. Tate Ph.D.

  4. Department of Psychology, East Carolina University, 1001 E 5th St, Greenville, NC, 27858, USA

    Lesley D. Lutes Ph.D.

Authors
  1. Melissa M. Crane Ph.D.
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  2. Dianne S. Ward Ed.D.
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  3. Lesley D. Lutes Ph.D.
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  4. J. Michael Bowling Ph.D.
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  5. Deborah F. Tate Ph.D.
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Correspondence to Melissa M. Crane Ph.D..

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Authors’ or Authors’ Statement of Conflict of Interest and Adherence to Ethical Standards

Authors Crane, Ward, Lutes, Bowling, Tate declare that they have no conflict of interest. All procedures, including the informed consent process, were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000.

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Crane, M.M., Ward, D.S., Lutes, L.D. et al. Theoretical and Behavioral Mediators of a Weight Loss Intervention for Men. ann. behav. med. 50, 460–470 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-016-9774-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-016-9774-z

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