Weight Management Treatment Representations: A Novel Use of the Common Sense Model

Abstract

We used the Common Sense Model to understand weight management treatment representations of diverse patients, conducting semistructured interviews with 24 veterans with obesity, recruited from multiple U.S. Veterans Health Administration facilities. We performed a directed content analysis to summarize representations and assess differences across demographic groups. Patients' representations were impacted by gender, socioeconomic status, and disability status, creating group differences in available treatment (e.g., disability-related limitations), negative consequences (e.g., expense), treatment timeline (e.g., men emphasized long-term lifestyle changes), and treatment models (e.g., women described medically driven models). Patients identified conventional representations aligning with medical recommendations and relating to positive consequences, long-term treatment timelines, and medically driven models. Finally, patients discussed risky representations, including undesirable attitudes related to short-term positive and negative consequences and long-term negative consequences. Applying the Common Sense Model emphasized diverse representations, influenced by patients' identities. Understanding representations may improve treatment to meet the needs of diverse preferences.

Keywords: Obesity; Patient perspectives; Treatment representation; Weight management treatment.