Oral Presentation Australian and New Zealand Obesity Society Annual Scientific Conference 2026

Food-related self-efficacy: A possible therapeutic target for weight management (142953)

Janet Franklin 1 2 3 , Elisia Manson 1 , Jessica Swinbourne 1 , Hannah Nelthorpe 1 , Samantha Hocking 1 2 4 , Tania Markovic 1 2 4
  1. Metabolism and Obesity Services, RPAH, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  2. Central Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  3. Translational Health Research Institute, ENRG, Western Sydney University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
  4. Charles Perkins Centre, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia

Background: Self-efficacy for resisting food is a key component of weight management. Understanding its relationship with obesity-related behaviours and psychological factors may inform treatment.

Methods: New patients attending a tertiary obesity management service between March 2021 and May 2026 completed demographic and anthropometric assessments and validated questionnaires, including the Weight Efficacy Lifestyle Questionnaire (WELQ), Grazing Questionnaire, Food Frequency Questionnaire, Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q), Yale Food Addiction Scale 2.0 (YFAS2), Three-Factor Eating Inventory (TFEI) and Weight Bias Internalisation Scale (WBIS). The WELQ assesses perceived ability to resist eating across five domains: Negative Emotions (NE), Availability (A), Social Pressure (SP), Physical Discomfort (PD) and Positive Activities (PA). Correlations between WELQ domains, behavioural and psychological measures, and weight loss over 24 months were examined.

Results: Of 757 patients enrolled, 588 (77.7%) completed the WELQ. Participants were predominantly female (69.7%), Caucasian (54.9%) and 48.3% held a diploma-level or higher qualification. Mean baseline WELQ scores were NE 18.3±10.2, A 17.3±9.5, SP 19.4±9.7, PD 22.4±9.5 and PA 21.5±9.2. All WELQ domains demonstrated moderate-to-strong negative correlations with TFEI disinhibition (r=-0.56 to -0.66; p<0.001). Moderate negative correlations were observed with grazing and hunger, while weaker negative correlations were identified with food addiction symptoms, binge eating with loss of control, eating and weight concerns, WBIS scores, fat intake, quality of life and impulsivity. Baseline WELQ scores were not associated with future weight loss. However, WELQ scores at 6, 12 and 24 months were significantly (p <0.05) associated with concurrent weight loss (r=-0.151– -0.527), with stronger relationships over time.

Conclusions: Lower food-related self-efficacy is associated with a range of maladaptive eating behaviours and psychological factors. While baseline self-efficacy does not predict future weight loss, the perceived ability to resist eating during weight loss is increasingly associated with weight loss over time, highlighting self-efficacy as a potentially important therapeutic target.