ABSTRACT
Figure 1. This figure also serves as a conceptual outline of
the issues addressed in this chapter.
The goal of this chapter is to facilitate understanding of
how the incorporation of cultural and related contextual
considerations into program design and implementation
might improve obesity treatment outcomes, particularly
long-term treatment outcomes. The chapter focuses primarily
on treatment of adults. The term “obesity treatment” is
defined broadly to refer to the various types of health
behavior change interventions that focus on weight reduction
or weight control (5). The discussion is framed primarily in
terms of situations in which clients and providers have
different sociocultural backgrounds, e.g., ethnic minority
clients are being treated by providers who are not from the
same ethnic group. The concepts are applicable to cross-
cultural issues in obesity treatment more generally. One
underlying theme is that cultural processes are inextricably
linked to other aspects of social contexts. Another is that all
obesity treatment situations are “cross-cultural” to the extent
that obesity treatment paradigms of the providers are not
aligned with the sociocultural and contextual realities of
obesity and weight control in the general population.
