Obesity Management

Tailoring Therapy for Overweight or Obese Patients

Most patients need the accountability of regular office visits with their medical care provider to sustain these lifestyle changes. Current weight loss with these programs averages as follows: medically supervised, 20.1% of initial weight in 24 weeks.

Physicians Should Teach Obese Patients

Adherence to diet for one year, not the specific diet plan, is the most important determinant of weight loss and reduction of cardiovascular risk, according to the results of a randomized trial published in the Jan. 5 issue of JAMA.

It seems plausible that for maintenance of reduced body mass, the right diet needs to be matched with the right patient, Dr. Eckel writes. Physicians should teach obese patients that both quality and quantity of the diet are important, and that sustained weight loss may well be possible with the addition of physical activity and behavioral change strategies to a modest but persistent caloric restriction.

JAMA. 2005;293:43-53, 96-97 News Author: Laurie Barclay, MDCME Author: Charles Vega, MD, FAAFP
http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/496891

Physician Counseling Boosts Weight-Loss Program Success

Weight-loss programs that include dietary counseling help dieters shed six percent of body weight more each year, according to a new study. For most people, that translates into a loss of 10 to 15 pounds, researchers say.

The team at the Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, analyzed 46 studies focused on weight loss. They compared data from almost 6,400 people whose programs included dietary counseling and almost 5,500 people who were not in these types of programs. Programs with frequent meetings and calorie restrictions resulted in more successful weight loss over time, according to the study, which is published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Date updated: July 03, 2007 Content provided by Health Day
http://www.revolutionhealth.com/articles/counselingboostsweightlossprogramsuccess/hd606087?ipc=B00520

Example of Obesity Management:

Physician Practice Patterns with Overweight and Obese Patients

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to assess inner-city clinic patient attitudes about weight loss counseling and to assess practice behaviors of primary care physicians.

Results

Reviews indicated that 80% of patients were either obese or overweight; 21% of obese patients and 11% of overweight patients had the diagnosis documented.

Of the obese patients 17% had dietitian referrals and 36% had an indication of physician weight loss recommendation.

A patient survey indicated that 86% of obese patients wanted to lose weight, 64% wanted a dietitian referral, and 62% felt that their physician could help with weight loss.

Conclusions

Physicians need to address how to manage obesity including assessing patient attitudes about making lifestyle changes and using dietitian and other referrals for weight reduction counseling.

The Diabetes Educator, Vol. 32, No. 4, 557-561 (2006) DOI: 10.1177/0145721706290437
© 2006 American Association of Diabetes Educators; Published by SAGE Publications