Predicting weight loss success among obese clients in a hospital nutrition clinic

A retrospective study of 63 obese patients seen in a hospital outpatient nutrition clinic was reported. The majority suffered from one or more other medical problems. The relationship of amount of and rate of weight loss to various factors was examined. The multivariate analysis revealed that either the amount or rate of weight loss was greater in the patients who were more overweight initially, white, male, young, single, older at age of onset of obesity, visited the clinic for a longer period of time but less frequently. Conversely, the amount or rate of weight loss was less in those patients receiving conjugated estrogens, oral contraceptives, propranolol, thioridazine HCl, and those who were receiving behavior modification as treatment.