Indicators of changes in weight and eating behaviour in severely obese patients treated in a nursing behavioural program.

To assess some possible reasons for the changes of weight and eating behaviour at a one year follow up in 33 severely obese subjects (mean BMI, 39.9 s.d. 5.2) treated in a nursing behavioural-treatment program, three instruments were used; the Self Motivation Inventory (SMI), the Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC) and the Karolinska Scales of Personality (KSP). The Three Factor Eating Questionnaire (EI) measuring restrained eating, disinhibition and hunger, was used to register the change of eating behaviour. The weight lost at the one year follow-up was significantly (P < .01) correlated to the restrained eating score at the time for the follow-up as well as to the difference value (P < .01) of the restraint score before and one year after treatment and to the number of participated booster sessions (P < .05). The SMI score, as measured before treatment, correlated significantly to all the EI subscales scores at the one-year follow-up (P < .05, P < .01, P < .01). Thus, the greater the self motivation, the more restraint and the less disinhibition and hunger. In turn, the SOC score correlated significantly (P < .01) to the SMI score. Thus, the stronger the sense of coherence, the more perceived self-motivation. Finally, there was a significant negative correlation between the KSP subscales Somatic Anxiety (P < .01), Muscular Tension (P < .05), Psychic Anxiety (P < .001), Psychasthenia (P < .01), Hostility (P < .001), and Inhibition of Aggression (P < .001) and a positive correlation between Socialization (P < .05) and the SOC score.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)