The
increasing prevalence of obesity is a major public health problem
because of its negative effect on health. The long-term-effects of
weight loss treatment for obesity are limited and
therefore, prevention of obesity is very important. This might be
achieved by weight gain prevention. This is especially relevant for
overweight adults; they comprise a large group and are at high risk of
becoming obese if they gain weight. Therefore, prevention of weight gain
among this group has been postulated as an important strategy for
preventing obesity.
At the start of this study there was no evidence as to whether
overweight adults were motivated for weight gain prevention. The first
aim of this thesis was to increase our understanding
the population’s acceptance of weight gain prevention and the
determinants of motivation for weight gain prevention and change in
energy-balance related behaviours among overweight adults.
In addition, no obesity prevention intervention that could potentially
reach a large number of overweight adults existed. To be effective such
an intervention should be able to reach many people in an individualised
approach and support the complicated process of
change in weight-related behaviours. Therefore, the second aim of this
thesis was to develop and evaluate an online, computer-tailored
intervention to achieve weight gain prevention among overweight adults.
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