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.
