The Role of Spirituality in Holistic Weight Management

Abstract

This descriptive, feasibility study was designed to determine how weight management patients defined spirituality and its connection with weight management. Relationships among spirituality assessment, spiritual well-being, selfesteem, and quality of life were explored. This study arose from clinical observations of possible relationships among patients' weight management failures, negative beliefs about self, and spiritual distress. Participants were 34 of 104 adult potential participants from a holistic weight management clinical practice. Survey data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis and quantitative linear regression analyses. Participants readily defined spirituality; significant linear relationships were found: Total spiritual well-being explained approximately 47% of the variance for self-esteem and existential spiritual well-being accounted for approximately 68% of the variance for self-esteem. Similarly, existential spiritual well-being explained approximately 35% of the variance of quality of life. For this convenience sample, spiritual well-being was significantly related to self-esteem and quality of life.