Continuous Support Helps People Maintain Their Weight After Dieting

A new study has shown that people who receive regular phone-based support after weight loss are more successful at keeping the weight off. However, receiving additional calls when there is a risk of weight regain does not provide any extra benefit.

The study was conducted by Dr. Catherine M. Ross, PhD, MPH, a Senior Scientific Researcher at the Advocate Aurora Research Center in the United States and an Associate Professor in the Department of Social Sciences and Health Policy at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Published on September 22nd in JAMA Network Open, the study followed 255 adults with obesity who had lost at least 5% of their initial body weight during a 16-week weight loss program.

All participants received monthly supportive phone calls. They were randomly assigned to receive these calls either on a fixed monthly schedule or triggered by an algorithm that identified them as being at high risk for weight regain.

After 20 months, both groups had maintained an average weight loss of 8% from their initial weight. Furthermore, approximately 60% of all participants maintained a loss of at least 5% of their initial weight.

“This study is important because it shows that ongoing support really does help people maintain their weight loss over time,” said Ross. “The outcomes for both groups were better than we expected.”

She added, “We have some ideas about why this is, and we are excited to begin new studies to refine our algorithm for predicting weight regain.”

Ross pointed out that these findings support providing long-term care for obesity within a chronic disease management model, “just as we do with other long-term health conditions.”

She expressed hope that “this research will encourage more clinics and health programs to offer continuous support to help people maintain their weight.”

 

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