Starting, staying and succeeding: motivation, life aspirations and hobbies as possible predictors of progression through a real-world online weight loss program.

backgroundAutonomous motivation is widely considered important for behaviour change, particularly around longer term, goal-orientated pursuits such as weight management. Few studies have explored how motivation predicts progression in real-world weight management from initiation to weight loss.

methodsThe Diet Mindset Quiz was developed as a health promotion tool that captures aspects of motivation based on self-determination theory, as well as broader life aspirations and intrinsic motivators or hobbies. The Quiz is provided free on the CSIRO Total Wellbeing Diet (TWD) platform - which hosts the structured 12-week online weight loss program. The current analysis linked data from the Quiz with data from the TWD program to understand how motivational characteristics predicted three stages of progress in weight management: initiation (signing up), early behavioural commitment (staying for the full 12-week program) and early success (weight loss outcome). Regression analyses were used to compare those who started the TWD after completing the Diet Mindset Quiz and those who remained on the TWD for 12 weeks and the association between individual and motivational characteristics and weight loss.

resultsThe final dataset included 98,335 Australians classified as overweight or obese based on self-reported height and weight. The sample was mostly female (83.4%) and aged 51-70 years (48.4%). Of those who took the quiz, 11.1% (n = 10,808) went on to sign up to the TWD program and 5.3% (n = 5139) stayed on the program for the full 12-weeks. Overall, the models predicted small amounts of the stages considered (1-5%). Intrinsic life aspirations increased the probability of signing up to the TWD by 26%. Mentally-orientated hobbies (e.g., puzzles, brain training games) increased probability of remaining for 12 weeks by 32%. Greater autonomous and introjected motivation had very small association with an increased probability of initiating the program, but lower weight loss at 12 weeks.

conclusionsPredictive value of motivational constructs for stages of progression in weight loss was minimal. Within these, the small effects for autonomous motivation suggest a lack of practical implication. The measurement and timing of assessing motivation requires a skilful brush. Perhaps it is less important to understand initial motivations than to purposefully develop them.