Increasing cost-effectiveness in obesity treatment through use of self-help behavioral manuals and decreased therapist contact.

126 community Ss (mean age 39.4 yrs) participated in a 10-wk weight reduction program; 4 groups used a behavioral manual, 4 groups used an alternate manual under varying degrees of therapist guidance, and 1 group served as a delayed-treatment control. Results at posttreatment and 3-, 6-, and 16-mo follow-ups supported the behavioral manual's effectiveness in producing modest weight loss. The manual could be applied under varying degrees of therapist guidance without significant differences in effectiveness, but with increased cost-effectiveness as therapist contact decreased. (7 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)