Phone Coaching for Weight Loss Maintenance

The Miriam Hospital77 enrolled

Overview

The purpose of this study was to examine whether 4 consecutive weeks of phone coaching aids in recovery from weight regain during weight loss maintenance. Individuals who previously achieved and maintained a \>=5% weight loss in a 1-year behavioral weight loss program were provided with a low-intensity maintenance intervention (monthly newsletters and smart scale). At baseline, participants were randomized to the coaching group or the control group (no coaching). If participants regained \>1.5% of their weight, randomization was "triggered." At this point, participants randomized to the coaching condition received 4 brief weekly coaching calls; participants randomized to the control condition received no additional intervention contact. Short-term and long-term weight change was assessed and compared between treatment groups.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

NONE

Enrollment

Conditions

Obesity Weight Loss

Interventions

Phone coachingBEHAVIORAL

Some individuals will receive 4 consecutive weeks of phone coaching. The first coaching call will be approximately 30 minutes in duration and follow-up calls will be 10-15 minutes in duration. Coaches will help support participants in their weight loss maintenance efforts. Once coaching calls are completed, the participant will not have any other contact with their coach.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 72 YearsHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * 18-72 years of age * Recent completion of a 1-year behavioral weight loss program * Achievement of \>=5% weight loss at the end of the 1-year weight loss program Exclusion Criteria: * Not currently enrolled in another weight management program

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Percent Change in Body Weight From Baseline to Month 12

Time frame: Baseline and Month 12

Secondary Outcomes

Percent Weight Change Over the Coaching Period

The 'coaching period' weight change was calculated by subtracting the 'trigger date' weight (i.e., the weight measurement from the smart scale on the day the participant achieved the trigger threshold, which was defined as the final day in a series of 4 days \>1.5% or the final day in which the previous 7 days averaged \>1.5%) from the smart scale weight 40 days following the 'trigger date'. Percent weight change was then calculated by taking the 'coaching period weight change' and dividing it by the 'trigger date weight' and multiplying by 100. Therefore, a negative number indicates weight loss and a positive number indicates weight gain over the 40-day coaching period.

Time frame: Trigger date and 40 days post-trigger date