Experiences and barriers to weight control in obese adults: a qualitative study in Moquegua-Peru

Abstract

Objective: Tunderstand the experiences and barriers that contribute to overweight or obesity in adults to improve the design of effective and sustainable interventions in an ESSALUD hospital in Ilo in Moquegua-Peru. Material and methods: Qualitative study in which patients of both sexes with a BMI IMC ≥30 kg/m2 participated. Patients were offered audio interviews. 10 semi-structured in-depth interviews with space for individual exploration were conducted in July 2023. The interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the thematic approach. ATLAS TI version 23 software was used to manage the data. Results: Three themes emerged: (1) reasons for weight gain and motivations to lose weight, (2) weight loss experiences and barriers (3) expectations and consequences. Conclusion: Patients recognized the need to modify their eating habits and the consequences affected their physical and mental health. Exercise and physical activity need to be expanded and institutionalized and improved health literacy can prevent and control obesity