Narratives From A Weight-Stop Program: A Qualitative Interview Study

Aims: The present study examined, from a qualitative perspective, the perceptions of health held by overweight participants in a Danish weight-loss program. Methods: The study was a narrative in-depth interview study with 12 participants; eight women and four men. Results: The overweight and obese individuals did not lack information about health, diet, and exercise. Rather, their personal understandings of health and weight loss turned out to be of greater significance than the official health guidelines. The participants created coherent idiomatic narratives in which they were not personally responsible for their overweight. Conclusion: The participants were able to tell socially acceptable narratives of a life of overweight and inability to lose weight. Practitioners can utilise these insights into the narratives of overweight in planning and developing effective weight loss programs.