Teacher ratings of children's problem and competence behaviors: normative and parametric characteristics.

Teacher-rated adjustment differences among young elementary school children from (a) a recent sample and a 1974 cohort, and (b) urban/suburban, male/female, and grade-level subgroups were examined. A problem behavior checklist (Classroom Adjustment Rating Scale) and a school competence measure (Health Resources Inventory) for 974 children from 5 urban and 5 suburban schools were completed by 101 first- to fourth-grade teachers. Children from the more current cohort were rated as significantly more maladjusted than those from the earlier sample on 8 of 10 adjustment variables. In the recent sample, girls and suburban children evidenced a greater number of school competencies and fewer problem behaviors than boys and urban children, respectively. The implications of these findings for the future use of the teacher rating scales are discussed.

Do behavioral treatments of obesity last? A five-year follow-up investigation.

Although the long-term maintenance of therapy induced behavior changes and the resulting weight loss represent critical issues in the treatment of obesity, there is a paucity of available data. The present study assessed the durability of treatment induced weight losses 5 years after treatment and the long-term adherence to treatment strategies. Thirty-six of the original 44 subjects who participated in a 10-week behavioral weight control program were interviewed in person (28), by mail (5) or reported their weights by phone (3). Results indicated that most subjects gained back a major portion of the weight they lost during treatment. The average subject had gained 11.94 lb. since treatment termination and was now 1.49 lb. heavier than when he/she entered treatment. Despite the fact that program adherence following the termination of treatment was typically low, both the number of program techniques conscientiously used and the months of conscientious technique use showed significant negative correlations with posttreatment weight gains. Subjects reported that numerous situational, social and emotional factors impacted upon their weight control efforts.

The development and evaluation of a behavioral weight-reduction program.

The development of a comprehensive weight-reduction program and its implementation in the clinic are described. The program consisted of explicit instructions on food monitoring, stimulus control, chaining, exercise, and self-reinforcement. The results of pilot research indicated that the program produced reliable weight loss and that its implementation in a group format was more positive. A formal experiment evaluated the effectiveness of program components in a 2 x 2 factorial design after ten weeks of treatment and at three-month and one-year follow-ups. There was significant weight loss with no main or interaction effects. At follow-up, those exposed to exercise and/or contingency management better maintained their weight loss or continued to lose. Data on the implementation of the program in a clinical setting are presented and these results compare favorably with reports from other clinics using behavior modification. It is suggested that our more positive results may be related to an emphasis on activity and life-style change in addition to changing eating behavior.