Weight management is an important concern for individuals, society, and public policy. However, the voices of people living with overweight or obesity are often underrepresented in the design of weight-management interventions. Exploring their perceptions of overweight and obesity, lived experiences, and weight-loss challenges may inform more effective and acceptable strategies for the target population.

To explore obesity-related perceptions, experiences, and weight management challenges among Chinese immigrants living with overweight or obesity in Australia, and to provide a cross-cultural perspective on obesity perceptions and weight management.

From August to November 2024, Chinese immigrants living in Melbourne were recruited using purposive and snowball sampling. Eligible participants had lived in Australia for more than six months and had a BMI greater than 23 kg/m². Maximum variation sampling was used to recruit participants with diverse backgrounds. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews incorporating photo elicitation. Data collection and analysis were conducted iteratively, and recruitment ceased when new data no longer added richness to the themes identified. Interviews were conducted in Mandarin or English, audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim by the researcher. The data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis.

Twenty-five Chinese immigrants living with overweight or obesity participated in the study. Participants varied in their place of residence before migration, occupation, age, length of residence in Australia, gender, and health status. Most interviews were conducted face-to-face. Four themes related to participants' everyday weight-loss challenges were generated: (1) weight loss was viewed as an ongoing important life task but not a daily priority; (2) self-discipline and perseverance were regarded as the keys to successful weight loss; (3) generic weight loss advice failed to accommodate the diversity and complexity of individual circumstances; and (4) support from family and friends was often limited to verbal encouragement, with little behavioural support.

This study presents perceptions of obesity, attitudes towards weight, and weight-loss challenges from the perspectives of people living with overweight or obesity. Participants generally possessed common knowledge about weight loss but had a limited understanding of the complicated mechanisms underlying obesity and weight management. Improving both individuals' and health professionals' understanding of these challenges may facilitate the development of more individualised and effective weight-management strategies. The findings also indicate that support for weight management at the family, societal, and environmental levels remains insufficient, highlighting the need for greater attention to and further development of supportive systems.

体重管理是个人、社会以及公共政策层面的重要话题，在体重管理干预的设计中，超重或肥胖者群体的声音时常缺失。探索其对于肥胖的认知、信念、经验以及减重困境，有助于制订容易被目标群体接受以及更加有效的体重管理策略。

探究居澳华裔移民在跨文化生活中的肥胖相关经验、认知和减重困境，为理解肥胖认知和个体减重策略提供跨文化视角。

2024年8—11月，采用目的抽样法和滚雪球抽样法选取移民到澳大利亚的华裔为访谈研究对象。受访者在墨尔本居住时间超过6个月，且BMI>23 kg/m² 。样本收集过程采用最大差异原则选取背景多样的访谈对象。访谈和数据分析过程迭代进行，直到新信息不再增加已提炼主题的丰富度时则停止招募访谈对象。访谈方法使用半结构访谈法和图片引谈法。访谈语言为普通话和英文；访谈内容以录音方式记录，由研究者逐字转录。数据分析方式为反思式主题分析法。

本研究共访谈了25名超重或肥胖华裔移民，其移居前居住地、职业、年龄、在澳居住时长、性别和健康状况均有差异。大部分访谈为线下面对面访谈。反思性数据分析归纳出4个与肥胖者日常减重困境有关的主题：（1）减重是生命中的待办事项，但非日常生活里的优先事件；（2）自律与毅力被认为是减重成功的关键因素；（3）泛化和通用的减重建议难以适应复杂多样的个体异质性；（4）身边人对减重者多停留于口头支持，缺乏行为层面的配合。

本研究从超重和肥胖者的自身视角出发，呈现出其对肥胖问题的认知、态度和减重困境。受访者普遍掌握减重相关的常识性知识，但对于肥胖形成机制及长期体重管理的复杂性认识有限。如能增进超重或肥胖者个体以及健康从业人员对这些减重困境的了解，可能有助于制订更个体化、更有效的减重策略。同时，研究结果也反映出家庭、社会及环境层面对超重肥胖个体体重管理的支持仍显不足，这一问题值得进一步关注，有必要进一步加强相关支持体系建设。