ABSTRACT

THE BEHAVIORAL APPROACH TO OBESITY: A THEORETICAL OVERVIEW

The behavioral approach to obesity grew out of the

Learning Theory (1,2) and was first applied to the treat-

ment of obesity between 1960 and 1970 (3,4). The pri-

mary assumptions of the behavioral approach are that

(i) eating and exercise behaviors affect body weight; by

changing eating and exercise behaviors, it is possible to

change body weight; (ii) eating and exercise patterns are

learned behaviors and, like other learned behaviors, can be

modified; and (iii) in order to modify these behaviors long

term, it is necessary to change the environment that

influences them.