Preventing Weight Gain: One-Year Results of a Randomized Lifestyle Intervention

ter Bogt, Nancy C.W.; Bemelmans, Wanda J.E.; Beltman, Frank W.; Broer, Jan; Smit, Andries J.; van der Meer, Klaas

doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2009.06.011

« Previous Next »American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Volume 37, Issue 4 , Pages 270-277, October 2009

Preventing Weight Gain:

One-Year Results of a Randomized Lifestyle Intervention

Nancy C.W. ter Bogt, MSc
- Department of General Practice, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
- Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Nancy C.W. ter Bogt, MSc, University Medical Center Groningen, Sector F: Department of General Practice, A. Deusinglaan 1 9713 AV Groningen, the Netherlands
Wanda J.E. Bemelmans, PhD
- Centre for Prevention and Health Services Research, National Institute for Public Health and the Environment, Bilthoven, the Netherlands
Frank W. Beltman, MD, PhD
- Department of General Practice, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
Jan Broer, MD, PhD
- Municipal Public Health Service Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
Andries J. Smit, MD, PhD
- Department of Internal Medicine, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands
Klaas van der Meer, MD, PhD
- Department of General Practice, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands

Background

Lifestyle interventions targeting prevention of weight gain may have better long-term success than when aimed at weight loss. Limited evidence exists about such an approach in the primary care setting.

Design

An RCT was conducted.

Setting/participants

Participants were 457 overweight or obese patients (BMI=25–40 kg/m², mean age 56 years, 52% women) with either hypertension or dyslipidemia, or both, from 11 general practice locations in the Netherlands.

Intervention

In the intervention group, four individual visits to a nurse practitioner (NP) and one feedback session by telephone were scheduled for lifestyle counseling with guidance of the NP using a standardized computerized software program. The control group received usual care from their general practitioner (GP).

Main outcome measures

Changes in body weight, waist circumference, blood pressure, and blood lipids after 1 year (dropout <10%). Data were collected in 2006 and 2007. Statistical analyses were conducted in 2007 and 2008.

Results

There were more weight losers and stabilizers in the NP group than in the general practitioner usual care (GP-UC) group (77% vs 65%; p<0.05). In men, mean weight losses were 2.3% for the NP group and 0.1% for the GP-UC group (p<0.05). Significant reductions occurred also in waist circumference but not in blood pressure, blood lipids, and fasting glucose. In women, mean weight losses were in both groups 1.6%. In the NP group, obese people lost more weight (−3.0%) than the non-obese (−1.3%; p<0.05).

Conclusions

Standardized computer-guided counseling by NPs may be an effective strategy to support weight-gain prevention and weight loss in primary care, in the current trial, particularly among men.