Research Article
Six Month Outcomes of a Primary Care-Based Weight Loss Trial Using a Lay-Trained Counselor
| Adam Gilden Tsai1,2* and Sue Felton1,2 | |
| 1 Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, USA | |
| 2 Anschutz Health and Wellness Center, University of Colorado School of Medicine, USA | |
| Corresponding Author : | Adam Gilden Tsai Kaiser Permanente of Colorado Department of Metabolic-Surgical Weight Management 2045 Franklin St, 3rd Floor Denver, Colorado 80205, USA Tel: 01-303-861-3342 Fax: 01-303-861-3273 E-mail: adam.g.tsai@kp.org |
| Received January 03, 2014; Accepted February 07, 2014; Published February 11, 2014 | |
| Citation: Tsai AG, Felton S (2014) Six Month Outcomes of a Primary Care-Based Weight Loss Trial Using a Lay-Trained Counselor. J Obes Weight Loss Ther 4:209. doi:10.4172/2165-7904.1000209 | |
| Copyright: © 2014 Tsai AG, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. | |
Abstract
Background: Obesity remains an important problem in primary health care settings. Intensive counseling from trained nutrition professionals has proven efficacy but is resource intensive. Trials have begun to assess the effectiveness of lower cost counselors. Methods: This paper describes the 6-month outcomes of a high intensity counseling intervention on weight (primary outcome), as well as cardiovascular disease risk factors and health-related quality of life (secondary outcomes). We also sought to assess whetherbaseline characteristics were associated with 6-month weight change. Participants (n=106) had obesity and at least one co-morbid medical condition. The trial used a trained layperson counselor and provided study participants with subsidized access to an evidence-based regimen of portion-controlled foods. Weight change data were analyzed using intention-to-treat analysis. Participants who dropped out prior to 6 months were assumed to have regained weight. Results: Average weight loss after 6 months was 7.0 kg, equal to 6.5% of initial weight. Significant improvements were noted in blood pressure, waist circumference, glycemic control, mood, and overall health-related quality of life. Most baseline characteristics were not associated with weight loss after 6 months. Conclusions: An intensive lifestyle intervention, using a trained layperson and portion-controlled foods, produced clinically significant weight loss at 6 months.Improvements were also noted in cardiovascular disease risk factors and in quality of life
