Introduction Clinically significant weight loss is defined as a ≥5% of initial body weight loss within a 6-month period. The purpose of this study was to assess body weight change from a 12-week telehealth-based weight loss program that integrated health coaching via video conferencing. Methods A total of 25 obese participants (12 males, 13 females) were recruited for this fully online 12-week weight loss program. Participants were randomly assigned to either an intervention group or control group ( n = 13 intervention, body mass index (BMI) = 34.7 ± 4.5 kg/m; n = 12 control, BMI = 34.4 ± 4.43 kg/m). All participants were given access to a secure platform for data tracking and video conferencing with the research team. The intervention group met with the medical doctor once per month and with a registered dietitian, weekly. Control participants met with the research team at baseline and at 12 weeks. Independent samples t-tests and Chi-square tests were used via SPSS version 24 with significance set to p < 0.05. Results There was a significant difference between the intervention and control groups for body weight loss (7.3 ± 5.2 versus 1.2 ± 3.9 kg, respectively, p < 0.05) as well as for percent body weight loss (7.16 ± 4.4 versus 1.5 ± 4.1%, respectively, p < 0.05). Clinically significant weight loss was achieved in 9 out of 13 (69.2%) in the intervention group versus 1 out of 12 (8%) in the control group. Discussion Mobile phone-based health coaching may promote weight loss. Weekly video conferencing with education may be an applicable tool for inducing significant body weight loss in obese individuals.

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Background: Telehealth-based health coaching in a usual care setting has yet to be examined. The purpose of this study was to incorporate the inHealth Lifestyle Therapeutics, Inc.’s Telehealth Enabled Approach to Multidisciplinary Care (TEAM) method within a real-world routine clinical care setting to reduce body weight in obese participants. Materials and Methods: n = 70 participants were recruited for this intervention (Age: 58.1 ± 14.6yrs, BMI: 35.5 ± 7.8 kg/m2, 32 males and 38 females). All participants self-selected participation in either the virtual health coaching (VHC) group or usual care (UC) group. VHC participants met with a medical doctor monthly and a certified health coach weekly for the first 12 weeks of the study, bi-weekly for the following 12 weeks, and monthly for the remaining 6 months. Data were analyzed using a two-sample student’s t-test to assess any changes from baseline for both VHC and UC groups. Results: A significant difference for weight-loss between VHC and UC groups (8.24 ± 9.8 vs. 0.16 ± 10.6 kg, respectively, p < 0.05) was observed. In addition, there was a significant change in the mean percentage of body weight loss (6.5 ± 0.1% vs. 0.53 ± 1.45%, respectively, p < 0.05) between groups. Conclusions: Incorporating innovative deliveries that are scalable, such as telehealth-based interventions, may help stem the tide of patient obesity related care. Furthermore, using a TEAM method in a usual care setting may be effective for inducing sustained weight loss at 12 months.

Purpose: To explore a telehealth-based lifestyle therapeutics (THBC) program on weight loss (WL) and program satisfaction in an employer population. Design: This study was a collaboration between inHealth Lifestyle Therapeutics and a large national employer group including 685 participants (296 women [64% obese] and 389 men [62% obese]). Measures: Percent WL and subjective rating (Perceived Program Value measured by a questionnaire) were assessed. Intervention: Average number of visits was 3.1 ± 0.4; each visit ranged between 20 and 45 minutes. Analysis: This study utilized a 2 × 2 block design using analysis of variance techniques based on sex (male and female) and initial body mass index (BMI) category (overweight and obese) tested at P ≤ .05. Results: There was no statistical difference in %WL between by sex ( F 1,681 = 0.398, P = .528) nor an interaction between sex and BMI ( F 1,681 = 0.809, P = .369). There was a statistically significant difference in %WL from pre to post program across initial BMI category ( F 1,681 = 13.707, P ≤ .001) with obese participants losing an average of 1.1% (0.5%-1.6%) more than overweight participants (overweight 2.5% [2.1%-3.0%] vs obese 3.6% [3.2%-3.9%]). Obese participants were 1.15 (1.07-1.25) times more likely to lose weight compared to overweight participants. Analysis of variance power analysis indicated sufficient power on minimum factor combination n = 106 ( Effect Size = 0.282). Conclusion: Results support the efficacy THBC in supporting WL with no reported differences between men and women, while having a high perceived value for employee participants.