Adherence

Even the most efficacious intervention can be rendered useless if the participant fails to follow treatment recommendations. Unfortunately, estimates show that rates of nonadherence for health promotion regimens range from 50% to 80%. Promoting adherence to lifestyle behavioral changes is critical to enhancing long-term health outcomes. Consequently, the “adherence challenge” represents a problem of enormous public health importance.

This entry provides an overview of adherence in the context of lifestyle changes related to diet, physical activity, and weight management. The first section depicts the nature and scope of the adherence problem, and the following section discusses the conceptual model most commonly used in the design of treatment interventions. The entry then summarizes empirical support for various strategies commonly used to promote long-term adherence and finally identifies ...