Obesity and overweight are increasing in children and adolescents in Oviedo at a level similar to that observed in studies conducted in developed countries. This obesity epidemic is becoming an important public health issue.

OBJECTIVE:To investigate the sustained effectiveness of a novel skill-based intervention for weight loss. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. SUBJECTS: A total of 80 overweight/obese women living in Connecticut. MEASUREMENTS: Absolute weight difference measured in pounds and absolute change in body mass index (BMI). Secondary outcomes included changes in food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data and waist-to-hip ratio. RESULTS: In all 61, 35, and 34% of study participants completed the 6-, 12-, and 24-month assessments, respectively. At 6 months postintervention, both counseling-based (CBI) and skill-based (SBI) intervention groups had statistically significant decreases in absolute weight (4.073.6 and 1.773.0 kg, respectively). Compared to their baseline values, both CBI and SBI groups still maintained weight losses at 24 months (1.175.8 and 0.5973.3 kg, respectively); however, the differences were not statistically significant. FFQ results showed that, within the SBI group, there was a significant decrease (Po0.05) in percent fat from baseline to 12 months and a nearly significant decrease in saturated fat from baseline to 24 months (P ¼ 0.07). CONCLUSIONS: Both the novel SBI and conventional dietary counseling demonstrated some residual weight loss benefit at 2 y. Effects of the SBI on dietary intake patterns are encouraging, and warrant further study.