Depressive Symptom Severity as a Predictor of Attendance in the HOME Behavioral Weight Loss Trial

Abstract

Objective We examined whether total depressive symptoms and symptom clusters predicted behavioral weight loss attendance among economically disadvantaged adults in a randomized controlled trial.

Methods 150 adults with obesity were randomized to 12 months of in-person, video conference, or enhanced usual care weight loss groups. We categorized percent session attendance in the intervention arms into three levels: no attendance, poorer attendance, and better attendance.

Results Higher baseline Patient Health Questionnaire-8 (PHQ-8) score was associated with a greater odds of being in the poorer versus better attendance group (OR = 1.94, 95% CI: 1.02–3.69, p = .04). A similar relationship between PHQ-8 score and odds of being in the no attendance versus better attendance group was observed but was not statistically significant (OR = 1.63, 95% CI: 0.94–2.81, p = .08). Both cognitive/affective and somatic clusters contributed to the depressive symptoms-attendance relationships.

Conclusion Greater depressive symptoms at the start of a behavioral weight loss program may predict poorer subsequent session attendance. Screening for and addressing depression may improve intervention uptake.