Obese adults prefer non-commercial, non-stigmatising interventions that are designed to improve lifestyles, rather than promote weight loss, according to a new study.

Dr Samantha Thomas, from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia, worked with a team of researchers to conduct a series of semi-structured telephone interviews with 142 people, aged between 19 and 75, with a body mass index of 30 and above.

Participants were asked about their attitudes towards three population-based interventions (regulation, media campaigns, and public health initiatives) and three individual interventions (tailored fitness programs, commercial dieting, and gastric banding surgery), and the effectiveness of these interventions.

Participants strongly supported non-commercial interventions that were focused on encouraging individuals to make healthy lifestyle changes (regulation, physical activity programs, and public health initiatives).

There was less support for interventions perceived to be invasive or high risk (gastric band surgery), stigmatising (media campaigns), or commercially motivated and promoting weight loss techniques (commercial diets and gastric banding surgery).

Thomas said: "At the individual level, personalised care planning and long term support systems must be developed to assist obese individuals. At the population level, anti-stigma campaigns and regulation should both be explored."