Effectiveness of a tailor-made weight loss intervention in primary care

Weight loss interventions have been studied extensively, but methodological limitations negatively affecting applicability in everyday clinical practice are a very common problem in these studies. Despite the fact that obesity is treated mostly in a primary care setting, studies that investigate weight loss interventions in a primary care setting are scarce. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of a tailor-made weight loss intervention in achieving a clinically significant weight loss in overweight (BMI ≥ 27 kg/m²) women aged 50-60 years in a primary care setting.

As part of a randomized controlled trial on the effects of a tailor-made weight loss intervention and oral glucosamine sulphate on the incidence of osteoarthritis of the knee in 407 overweight women aged 50-60 years, we analysed the effectiveness of the weight loss intervention in achieving clinically relevant weight loss.

At baseline, the mean body weight for all participants was 88.7 ± 13.2 kg, and the mean BMI was 32.4 ± 4.3 kg/m². The percentage of participants that lost ≥5 kg or 5 % of their baseline body weight was 14.8 versus 6.3 % (p = 0.012) at 6 months for the intervention group and the control group, respectively. At 12 months, this was 18.7 versus 14.9 % (p = 0.027). Mean weight gain at 6 months was -0.9 versus 0.9 kg (p < 0.001) for the intervention group and the control group, respectively. At 12 months, this was -0.6 versus 0.6 kg (p = 0.01). At 30 months of follow-up, no significant differences were found between both groups.

This weight loss intervention, which, at short notice, is easily applicable in everyday clinical practice, is effective in achieving clinically significant weight loss in overweight women aged 50-60 over a 12-month period. Long-term weight loss maintenance, however, occurred only marginally. Magnitude of the effect is comparable to that achieved in many other more intensive weight loss interventions.