Browsing by Author "Borgatti, Alena"

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    Pre-Treatment and During-Treatment Weight Trajectories in Black and White Women
    (Elsevier, 2022) Schneider-Worthington, Camille R.; Kinsey, Amber W.; Tan, Fei; Zhang, Sheng; Borgatti, Alena; Davis, Andrea; Dutton, Gareth R.; Mathematical Sciences, School of Science
    Introduction: Black participants often lose less weight than White participants in response to behavioral weight-loss interventions. Many participants experience significant pretreatment weight fluctuations (between baseline measurement and treatment initiation), which have been associated with treatment outcomes. Pretreatment weight gain has been shown to be more prevalent among Black participants and may contribute to racial differences in treatment responses. The purpose of this study was to (1) examine the associations between pretreatment weight change and treatment outcomes and (2) examine racial differences in pretreatment weight change and weight loss among Black and White participants. Methods: Participants were Black and White women (n=153, 60% Black) enrolled in a 4-month weight loss program. Weight changes occurring during the pretreatment period (41 ± 14 days) were categorized as weight stable (±1.15% of baseline weight), weight gain (≥+1.15%), or weight loss (≤-1.15%). Recruitment and data collection occurred from 2011 to 2015; statistical analyses were performed in 2021. Results: During the pretreatment period, most participants (56%) remained weight stable. Pretreatment weight trajectories did not differ by race (p=0.481). At 4-months, those who lost weight before treatment experienced 2.63% greater weight loss than those who were weight stable (p<0.005), whereas those who gained weight before treatment experienced 1.91% less weight loss (p<0.01). Conclusions: Pretreatment weight changes can impact weight outcomes after initial treatment, although no differences between Black and White participants were observed. Future studies should consider the influence of pretreatment weight change on long-term outcomes (e.g., weight loss maintenance) along with potential racial differences in these associations.
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    Predicting program attendance and weight loss in obesity interventions: Do triggering events help?
    (Sage, 2021) Borgatti, Alena; Tang, Ziting; Tan, Fei; Salvy, Sarah-Jeanne; Dutton, Gareth; Mathematical Sciences, School of Science
    Medical events that “trigger” motivation to lose weight may improve treatment outcomes compared to non-medical or no triggering events. However, previous findings include only long-term successful participants, not those initiating treatment. The current study compared those with medical triggering events or non-medical triggering events to no triggering events on attendance and weight loss during a weight management program. Medical-triggering-event participants lost 1.8 percent less weight (p = 0.03) than no-triggering-event participants. Non-medical-triggering-event participants attended 1.45 more sessions (p = 0.04) and were 1.83 times more likely to complete the program (p = 0.03) than no-triggering-event participants. These findings fail to support the benefit of medical triggering events when beginning treatment for obesity.
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    Weight Discrimination Experienced Prior to Enrolling in a Behavioral Obesity Intervention is Associated with Treatment Response among Black and White Adults in the Southeastern U.S.
    (Springer, 2022) Crockett, Kaylee B.; Borgatti, Alena; Tan, Fei; Tang, Ziting; Dutton, Gareth; Mathematical Sciences, School of Science
    Background: The current study evaluated the associations between history of weight discrimination and race on pre-treatment depressive symptoms, treatment session attendance, and weight loss among Black and White adults enrolled in a 16-week obesity intervention. Methods: Participants (N = 271; mean BMI = 35.7 kg/m2; 59% Black; 92% women) reported prior experiences of weight discrimination and completed the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) Scale at baseline. Weekly attendance at group sessions was recorded, and weight was measured at baseline and post-treatment. All models adjusted for baseline BMI, age, and sex. Results: Participants with a history of weight discrimination scored 2.4 points higher on the CES-D (B = 2.432, p = .012) and lost 2% less weight relative to those without weight discrimination (B = 0.023, p = .002). Race modified the association between weight discrimination and treatment session attendance, such that Black individuals attended fewer sessions if they had prior experience of weight discrimination, but prior weight discrimination was not significantly associated with treatment attendance among White individuals. Conclusion: Weight discrimination is associated with pre-treatment depressive symptoms and may hinder weight loss regardless of race. Black individuals may attend fewer weight loss treatment sessions if they have prior experience of weight discrimination.