Background: Obesity is a major contributor to medical comorbidity and places a large economic burden on health care. This study examined the effectiveness of primary care–integrated health coaching for weight loss in overweight/obese patients. Participants/Methods: This observational clinical study with a retrospective comparison analysis was performed at an urban academic primary care practice. A total of 271 individuals with a BMI >25 kg/m2 were recruited and followed for 2 years. A standardized health coaching intervention was used to promote weight loss. The main outcome measures were weight loss as a percentage of initial body weight and proportion of patients with weight loss ≥5% initial body weight, controlling for relevant covariates. An activity-based cost assessment of health coaching for weight loss was also performed. Results: Health coaching was associated with a mean loss of 7.24% initial weight after 12 months (95% CI = 8.68 to 5.90) and 6.77% after 24 months (95% CI = 8.78 to 4.76). Coached patients were more likely to achieve ≥5% of initial weight loss at both 12 and 24 months (P < .001). Health coaching costs were $288.54 per participant over 1 year. Conclusions: Primary care–integrated health coaching was associated with statistically significant weight loss in overweight and obese adults.

Obesity (and its related comorbidities) is one of the fastest-growing health concerns facing the United States and shows no sign of abating.1 The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculated that nearly 36% of American adults were obese in 2010 and estimates that this number will reach 44% by 2018.The current standard of care for the management of patients with obesity in primary care is often a general recommendation by the physician to lose weight through improved nutrition and increased physical activity. Educational materials may be provided along with a referral to a dietician, nutritionist, or weight management program. Health coaching as an obesity intervention has yet to be fully integrated into primary care practice but has proven to be effective in corporate wellness and behavioral weight loss programs.2–5

. Prediabetes is a prevalent disease that has been associated with its own health risks and is a known precursor of type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle interventions are known to effectively treat prediabetes but are often not offered to patients within a primary care setting. . Exploratory and descriptive study.. To assess if the use of a health coaching intervention among primary care patients, with prediabetes, warrants further examination. . A retrospective chart review was conducted for all patients who had prediabetes and received health coaching at the Ambulatory Practice of the Future between 2012 and 2014.. A health coaching intervention used among primary care patients, with prediabetes, deserves further examination, as participants had a significant reduction in hemoglobin A1c and weight over 2 years.