Research paper
Wing RR, Jeffery RW. Benefits of recruiting participants with friends and increasing social support for weight loss and maintenance. J Consult Clin Psychol. 1999 Feb;67(1):132-8. doi:10.1037//0022-006x.67.1.132
Why we cite it
RCT with 166 participants testing whether enrolling with friends and adding social support strategies improves weight loss outcomes. Compared standard behavioral treatment (SBT) alone vs. SBT plus social support, and recruitment alone vs. with friends. The results were striking: among those recruited with friends and receiving enhanced social support, 95% completed treatment and 66% maintained their weight loss at 10 months, compared to 76% completion and only 24% maintenance among those recruited alone. This nearly 3-fold difference in maintenance rates provides direct experimental evidence that social support causally improves weight management outcomes.
About the author
Rena R. Wing — BA Psychology (Connecticut College, 1967). PhD (Harvard University, 1971). Postdoctoral fellow in psychiatry, NIMH and Harvard Medical School (1971-1973). At time of paper: Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (25 years at Pitt). Moved to Brown University in 1998; currently Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior. Co-founded the National Weight Control Registry (NWCR) with James Hill in 1994 — tracking 5,000+ successful long-term weight loss maintainers. Developed the lifestyle intervention for the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP), which found modest weight losses reduced diabetes risk by 58%. Chair of the Look AHEAD study. 600+ peer-reviewed papers. Rosenberger Medal of Honor (Brown, 2024 — highest faculty honor, awarded only 35 times since 1919).
Robert W. Jeffery — BA Economics (Stanford University). PhD Psychology (Stanford University, late 1970s). University of Minnesota School of Public Health since 1979. Currently Professor Emeritus, Division of Epidemiology & Community Health. Founded the Obesity Prevention Center (now Healthy Weight Research Center) at UMN in 2004. Research: behavioral epidemiology, obesity prevention, food pricing interventions, worksite health promotion.
DOI: 10.1037//0022-006x.67.1.132 · PubMed 10028217 · Publisher