Feasibility of an interdisciplinary program for obesity management in Canada

To assess the feasibility of a medically supervised, publicly funded interdisciplinary program for obesity management in a Canadian setting.

Retrospective chart audit using electronic medical records.

Wharton Medical Clinic in Hamilton and Burlington, Ont.

A total of 2739 consenting patients attending the interdisciplinary obesity-management program at Wharton Medical Clinic.

Three- and 6-month weight changes and factors affecting weight loss.

The 1085 patients attending the clinic for at least 3 months (mean [SD] of 8.1 [6.1] visits and 5.4 [4.7] months) lost a mean (SD) of 4.2 (7.1) kg or 3.5% (6.8%) of their initial body weight, with 32% and 9% of these patients attaining weight reductions of 5% or greater and 10% or greater, respectively. The 289 patients attending the clinic for 6 months or more (mean [SD] of 13.2 [9.7] visits and 10.5 [6.9] months) lost a mean (SD) of 5.4 (10.6) kg or 4.3% (9.2%) of their initial body weight, with 47% and 17% attaining reductions of 5% or greater and 10% or greater, respectively. Visit frequency was positively associated with weight loss independent of age, sex, body mass index, and treatment duration.

Preliminary data support the short-term effectiveness and clinical utility of this publicly funded program. Using this interdisciplinary model, approximately half of patients were able to attain clinically significant weight loss.