A review of behavioral approaches to weight control

Forty case reports and experimental studies of behavioral approaches to weight control were reviewed. The treatments, categorized as: aversive conditioning, covert sensitization, coverant conditioning, therapist controlled reinforcement and self-control of eating, were evaluated in terms of their empirical support. It was suggested that self-control procedures may be the most promising treatment, particularly when used in conjunction with therapist controlled reinforcement. Methodological difficulties and implications for future research were discussed.