Phone Versus Clinical Approach to Weight Loss

Study Summary

Weight loss and maintenance continues to be problematic for individuals who are overweight or obese. State-of-the-art treatment generally involves a behavioral weight loss clinic that emphasizes nutrition, physical activity, and lifestyle changes and is delivered face-to-face between health educators and small groups of participants. This delivery system is time consuming, expensive, and presents numerous barriers to the participant. We have developed a phone based delivery system that eliminates many of these barriers by substituting group conference calls for clinics and by delivering weight loss materials and products directly to the participant. Hypothesis 1: We expect equivalent weight loss from baseline for phone and clinic groups and have defined equivalence as no greater than 4 kg difference between groups based on our pilot data and potential for clinical significance. Hypothesis 2: During weight maintenance it is likely that participants will experience some weight re-gain. We expect both phone and clinic groups to re-gain a similar amount of weight and that weight for both groups at 18 months will be significantly less than baseline weights. Hypothesis 3: We will complete a cost analysis to determine which delivery method is more economical. Specifically, we expect the phone delivery system to be more cost effective than that of the in-person clinics.

Interventions

• BEHAVIORAL Phone versus Clinic Weight Management Programs