Long-term retention in an employer-based, commercial weight-loss programme

Area of Science:

• Obesity and Weight Management
• Health Services Research
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Commercial weight-loss programs are widely utilized for obesity management.
• Participant retention is crucial for program effectiveness and commercial viability.
• Factors influencing long-term adherence in these programs require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify key factors associated with sustained, long-term retention in an employer-based commercial weight-loss program.
• To analyze the impact of early engagement, weight change, and participant characteristics on retention rates.
• To provide evidence for developing strategies to improve participant adherence in commercial weight-loss interventions.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of data from an employer-based commercial weight-loss program (2013-2016).
• Defined long-term retention as continuous enrollment with active engagement at 6 and 12 months.
• Utilized multivariate logistic regression to assess predictors of retention, including demographics, engagement metrics, and weight change.

Main Results:

• Overall retention rates were 68.3% at 6 months and 45.9% at 12 months.
• Increased coach calls and website logins in the initial 3 months significantly predicted higher retention.
• Achieving ≥5% weight loss by 6 months increased retention odds (OR 2.80), while early weight-loss failure (≥0% change at 1 month) decreased retention odds (OR 0.66).
• Presence of chronic conditions was associated with decreased odds of retention.

Conclusions:

• Early and consistent engagement with program components (coach calls, online resources) is a significant predictor of long-term retention.
• Achieving early weight-loss milestones is strongly associated with sustained participation.
• Interventions aiming to improve retention should focus on enhancing early engagement and supporting participants through initial weight-loss phases, particularly those with chronic conditions.