What women seek in weight loss: the search for new approaches

A new study has found that the average woman tries to lose weight seven times over their lifespan — but fails six times.

The recent double-blinded poll of 2,000 U.S. women between the ages of 30 and 65 conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Boston Scientific found that 78% have tried to lose weight before, but many struggle to reach their weight loss goals.

Women who have tried to lose weight in the past shared numerous methods they’ve tried to reach their goals, including a healthier diet (78%), weight loss supplements (41%), weight loss beverages (39%) and fad diets (31%).

Results found some have also tried turning to modern medicine or procedures for weight loss: 14% reported trying GLP-1 medications and 7% tried either bariatric surgeries or endoscopic procedures.

Three in four women (74%) said weight loss is important to their personal overall health and wellbeing.

And for most who have tried to lose weight before, the biggest motivators were to maintain their appearance (65%), their physical health (63%) and their personal satisfaction (59%).

Many said they’re influenced to try new weight loss methods by doing their own personal research (42%) or seeking advice from healthcare professionals (34%).

Four in 10 (41%) admitted they’re unhappy with their current weight, and 43% said their weight has decreased their sense of self-confidence.

A third would consider a weight loss procedure or surgery. However, 48% have hesitations about it, stating they wouldn’t consider undergoing weight loss surgery to assist in reaching their goals.

People are just learning of the endobariatric options. Nearly half (47%) of those who have tried to lose weight before said they were not aware of minimally invasive, endoscopic procedures for weight loss and only 2% of them had undergone an endobariatric procedure.

But 51% said they’d be interested in learning more about it and what it can do for them. In fact, 74% who are unhappy with their weight believe it’s important that they have multiple options to choose from for weight loss.

“Losing weight is an extremely relatable goal among women and something most have tried to do at some point in their lives,” commented Reem Sharaiha, MD, MSc*, attending physician and director of endoscopy at New York Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center. “It can be a challenging and overwhelming process that often involves many factors and motivators to be successful.

“It is important to understand that obesity is not anyone’s fault and can be multifactorial,” Sharaiha continued. “We need to treat obesity as a chronic condition requiring multiple different treatment options during different stages of a person’s life.”

Seven in 10 women who are unhappy with their current weight believe the ease of implementation and access is important when deciding on a new weight loss method.

Respondents unhappy with their current weight shared what they believe would help them achieve their weight loss goals more effectively: self-motivation (61%), improved finances and ability to afford weight loss treatments under insurance (37%), an increased focus on their health goals (33%), access to weight loss programs (30%) and access to weight loss procedures (27%).

“Endobariatric procedures may be an excellent option for women looking to lose weight and maintain their weight loss through a healthy diet and exercise,” continued Sharaiha. “For those who want to avoid weight loss medications and surgery, an endobariatric procedure can be an effective alternative to kickstart healthy weight loss. I encourage women to talk to their doctor to determine if this may be a good option for their weight loss journey.”

*Dr. Reem Sharaiha is a paid consultant of Boston Scientific Corporation. She has not been compensated in connection with this research or news copy.

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 American women, aged 30 to 65; the survey was commissioned by Boston Scientific and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between Nov. 1 and Nov. 7, 2024.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.