An overweight adolescent expresses a desire to lose weight but does not want to give up sweets and soft drinks because he enjoys them. Which stage of change does this represent?

An overweight adolescent expresses a desire to lose weight but does not want to give up sweets and soft drinks because he enjoys them. Which stage of change does this represent?

• A. Contemplation
• B. Preparation
• C. Action
• D. Precontemplation

Answer: (A)

In this scenario, the key idea is ambivalence about change. The adolescent recognizes a desire to lose weight, which shows awareness and intention, but he simultaneously clings to sweets and soft drinks because he enjoys them, resisting the idea of giving them up. That pull between wanting to change and not being ready to modify the behavior is the hallmark of contemplation: awareness of the problem with a stated intention to change, but no concrete plan or commitment to take action yet. This differs from preparation, where there is a plan or small steps toward change; from action, where the individual is actively changing behavior; and from precontemplation, where there is little or no recognition of a problem or desire to change.

In this scenario, the key idea is ambivalence about change. The adolescent recognizes a desire to lose weight, which shows awareness and intention, but he simultaneously clings to sweets and soft drinks because he enjoys them, resisting the idea of giving them up. That pull between wanting to change and not being ready to modify the behavior is the hallmark of contemplation: awareness of the problem with a stated intention to change, but no concrete plan or commitment to take action yet.

This differs from preparation, where there is a plan or small steps toward change; from action, where the individual is actively changing behavior; and from precontemplation, where there is little or no recognition of a problem or desire to change.