Effectiveness of a Worksite Telephone-Based Weight Management Program

Abstract

Purpose.

Examine the long-term impact of a telephone-based weight management program among participants recruited from worksite settings.

Design.

Pre/post quasi-experimental design comparing weight loss and related behaviors between program completers and noncompleters.

Setting.

Ten large private-sector and public-sector employers.

Subjects.

Overweight or obese participants (n = 1298) enrolled in a telephone-based weight management program.

Intervention.

Individually tailored telephone-based weight management coaching program that included up to five calls over a median of 250 days.

Measures.

Weight, body mass index, and lifestyle behaviors assessed via health risk assessment at baseline and 1-year follow-up.

Analysis.

Chi-square and one-way analysis of variance procedures were used to assess between-group differences in weight and associated behaviors, with criterion for significance set at p < .05.

Results.

Among weight management program participants, 48% of program completers and 47% of noncompleters lost weight, but program completers averaged 2.6 times more weight loss than noncompleters. Improvements in physical activity, eating habits, and overall health status were reported for completers.

Conclusion.

The weight loss attained among participants who lost weight, along with the improvements in physical activity and nutrition practices, suggests that a telephone-based weight management program of modest intensity can have a positive impact on the health of obese or overweight worksite participants. (Am J Health Promot 2011;25[3]:186–189.)