More weight lost with automated internet program vs usual primary care

According to the results of a study published in , primary care providers being referred to an automated weight loss program resulted in significantly increased weight loss at 6 and 12 months compared to usual care. obesity.

Additionally, biweekly emails from providers to internet participants were not associated with more weight loss compared to internet participation alone.

“There are several effective online programs for obesity, but it remains to be seen whether automated online programs are effective when integrated into primary care, and whether outcomes and engagement are enhanced by provider engagement via email. Further research is needed to determine whether Deborah F. Tate doctorate, professor of The Department of Health and Behavioral Nutrition at the University of North Carolina Gillings School of International Public Health, Chapel Hill, and colleagues wrote, “Counseling and engagement with PCPs are associated with weight loss, and research suggests that patients are more likely to be affected by their providers’ weight management practices.” It is suggested that they want to be more involved in the effort.”

This three-arm cluster randomized controlled trial involved 550 overweight or obese adults (mean age 51.4 years, 72% female, mean BMI 35.1 kg/m2).²) enrolled through 31 primary care providers from August 2013 to November 2015. Each provider referred the patient to her 12-month internet weight loss intervention (n = 181), intervention and semi-automated feedback from the provider (n = 182), or usual care (n = 187) were randomly assigned as follows. Researchers recorded each participant’s baseline weight and her weight at 3, 6, and 12 months.

A total of 25 participants participated in the internet weight loss intervention, 38 participated in the intervention and feedback, and 31 did not complete the 12-month visit to the usual care arm.

Internet-based weight loss intervention includes self-monitoring with diary entries, daily weight log prompts, weekly algorithmic feedback based on individual progress, 18 behavioral weight loss lessons, message boards, topical articles, and individual progress A chart was included. The intervention and feedback arm also included bi-weekly emails from the PCP based on individual progress and an in-person review of progress when office visits were scheduled.

At 12 months, researchers observed a weight change of -0.92 kg in participants in the usual care arm, -3.68 kg in the Internet weight loss intervention arm, and -3.58 kg in the intervention and feedback arm. was significantly different between participants in both intervention groups compared to the care group (P. < .001). Weight loss was similar for participants in the intervention group, regardless of provider feedback.

“Interventions that are effective in clinical populations but not eligible for reimbursement have historically been difficult to disseminate,” the researchers wrote. “During COVID-19, we have just experienced a period when most non-acute health care services required remote delivery, so there may be more opportunities for widespread deployment of automated remote interventions.”