Evaluation of an 18-month commercial multidisciplinary obesity treatment programme

The treatment of obesity is an often studied subject. Although reductions in weight and improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors are important aims of obesity treatment, improvements in quality of life and eating behaviour are also relevant outcomes. In this practice-based study, we evaluated an 18-month commercial multidisciplinary obesity treatment programme and report on treatment results for weight, cardiometabolic risk factors, eating behaviour and quality of life. From a local commercial obesity treatment centre, 426 subjects (65% female; 45.4 +/- 12.2 years; body mass index 40.0 +/- 6.6 kg m-2 ) were recruited. Measurements of body weight, height, body composition, waist circumference and blood pressure were scheduled at baseline and every 3 months, whereas fasting blood collections were scheduled at baseline and every 6 months. At the same time points, participants were asked to fill in questionnaires on dietary intake, eating behaviour and quality of life. After 18 months of treatment programme, average weight change [mean (95% confidence interval)] was -10.9 kg (-14.8 to -7.0; P < 0.001) for the completers (n = 181) and -10.8 kg (-14.2 to -7.4; P < 0.001) for the intention-to-treat population (n = 426). Waist circumference (mean +/- standard error of the mean) (-0.13 +/- 0.01 cm; P < 0.001), fat mass (-7.8 +/- 1.3 kg; P < 0.001) systolic (-11.4 +/- 2.0; P < 0.001) and diastolic (-7.0 +/- 1.3; P < 0.001) blood pressure, triglycerides (-0.4 +/- 0.1; P = 0.004) and plasma glucose (-0.6 +/- 0.2; P = 0.001) were significantly reduced. The PCS scale of the SF-36 and all three scales of the three-factor eating questionnaire improved significantly over the 18-month treatment period. All collected data in this study provide evidence that a multidisciplinary treatment programme based on lifestyle modification results in significant weight loss and improvements in cardiometabolic risk factors, quality of life and eating behaviour.