Weight loss competitions at the worksite: How they work and how well
Preventive MedicinePublished 1 July 1989
Albert J. Stunkard, Rita Yopp Cohen, Michael R. J. Felix
Citations58
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score1.79
SNIP1.34
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TL;DR
This study showed that the results of competition were robust and widely generalizable and only limited maintenance of weight loss following competitions.
Abstract
Three studies were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of competition as a method of weight loss at the worksite. Study 1 found team competitions more effective than either cooperation or individual competition for men, and more effective than individual competition for women. Study 2 replicated the effectiveness of team competitions at 10 worksites. The influence of four variables [gender, age, type of employment (blue-collar vs white-collar), and method of assignment to teams] upon four outcomes (recruitment, attrition, weight loss, and cost/effectiveness), was assessed. This study showed that the results of competition were robust and widely generalizable. Recruitment was high, attrition very low, weight losses large, and cost/effectiveness favorable. Study 3, however, found only limited maintenance of weight loss following competitions.
Keywords
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