The probability of an obese person attaining normal weight or maintaining weight loss is low, according to a study published in the American Journal of Public Health.
Here are six key notes:
1. Using data on approximately 76,000 obese men and 99,000 obese women over age 20 in the United Kingdom, researchers aimed to estimate the probability of attaining normal weight, or a 5 percent reduction in body weight.
2. Researchers concluded that "obesity treatment frameworks grounded in community-based weight management programs may be ineffective."
3. Over a maximum of nine years' follow-up, 283 men and 2,245 women attained normal body weight.
4. The annual probability of attaining a normal body weight was one in 210 for men and one in 124 for women.
5. The probability of a morbidly obese man reaching normal body weight was one in 1,290 for men and one in 677 for women.
6. Researchers also found the annual probability of achieving a 5 percent weight reduction was one in 8 for men and one in 7 for women with morbid obesity.
