The cost of losing: an analysis of commercial weight-loss programs in a metropolitan area.

Spielman, A B; Kanders, Beatrice S.; Kienholz, Michelle L.; Blackburn, George L.

doi:10.1080/07315724.1992.10718194

Cited by 26 publications

(13 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Weight loss in commercial coaching programs is mostly related to retaining rate, with the most active subjects in the programs having the most beneficial results [13], [50], [51]. Participation in weight-loss programs is hindered by costs, as the most frequent motivation for dropping out of the program is its cost at the individual level [52]. This could explain in part our results, especially as regards subjects who were not able to complete the program for financial reasons even though they had perceived it positively.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weight-Loss Strategies Used by the General Population: How Are They Perceived?

et al. 2014

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BackgroundThe rising prevalence of obesity and the social pressure for thinness increase the prevalence of dieting. However, little is known about the overall perception of dieting strategies actually used by the general population.ObjectivesOur main objective was to investigate perceptions of weight-loss practices in an observational study in order to identify the most favourable strategy.DesignAdults from the ongoing Nutrinet-Santé cohort study who had reported engaging in dieting in the three previous years were included in the study. For each diet, detailed information was collected on types of diets, circumstances and perception of the diet, and outcomes. Perceptions were compared across diets using sex-specific mixed effects models.ResultAmong the 48 435 subjects who had completed the respective questionnaire, 12 673 (26.7%, 87.8% of women) had followed at least one weight-loss diet in the previous three years. Diet plans prescribed by health professionals and diets conforming to official dietary recommendations were the most favourably perceived among all assessed weight-loss strategies. Alternatively, commercial diet plans and self-imposed dietary restrictions were more negatively perceived (Odds ratios (OR) for adherence difficulty 1.30 (95% confidence interval (0.99;1.7)) in men and OR 1.92 (1.76;2.10) in women compared to official nutritional guidelines; OR 1.06 (0.82;1.38) in men and OR 1.39 (1.26;1.54) in women respectively) compared to official nutritional guidelines.ConclusionOfficial dietary recommendations could be useful tools for maintaining a dietary balance while following a weight-loss diet.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Weight-Loss Strategies Used by the General Population: How Are They Perceived?

et al. 2014

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“…The primary reason for using kilogram-years of weight loss (similar to pack years in smoking) rather than kilograms or pounds lost as the measure of change in weight is to standardize the results across studies with different lengths of follow-up. 22,23 Had we not standardized, our ratio would reflect 2 years of costs divided by the mean weight reduction during the 2 years. The resulting ratio would not be comparable with ratios from single year studies that reflect 1 year of costs and possibly the same number of kilograms lost in year 1.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost-effectiveness of a primary care intervention to treat obesity

et al. 2013

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Background Data on the cost-effectiveness of the behavioral treatment of obesity are not conclusive. The cost-effectiveness of treatment in primary care settings is particularly relevant. Methods We conducted a within-trial cost-effectiveness analysis of a primary care-based obesity intervention. Study participants were randomized to: Usual Care (quarterly visits with their primary care provider); Brief Lifestyle Counseling (Brief LC; quarterly provider visits plus monthly weight loss counseling visits; or Enhanced Brief Lifestyle Counseling (Enhanced Brief LC; all above interventions, plus choice of meal replacements or weight loss medication). A health care payer perspective was used. Intervention costs were estimated from tracking data obtained prospectively. Quality adjusted life years (QALYs) were estimated with the EuroQol-5D. We estimated cost per kilogram-year of weight loss and cost per QALY. Results Weight losses after 2 years were 1.7, 2.9, and 4.6 kg for Usual Care, Brief LC, and Enhanced Brief LC, respectively (p = 0.003 for comparison of Enhanced Brief LC vs. Usual Care). The incremental cost per kilogram-year lost was $292 for Enhanced Brief LC compared to Usual Care (95% CI $38 to $394). The incremental cost per QALY was $115,397, but the 95% CI were undefined. Comparison of short term cost per kg with published estimates of longer term cost per QALYs suggested that the intervention could be cost-effective over the long term (≥ 10 years). Conclusions A primary care intervention that included monthly counseling visits and a choice of meal replacements or weight loss medication could be a cost-effective treatment for obesity over the long term. However, additional studies are needed on the cost-effectiveness of behavioral treatment of obesity.

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“…Compared with commercial, balanced nutrition weight reduction programmes, costed in Switzerland (Swiss francs 30.4 ($A31.02) per kilogram weight loss over 32 weeks) 22 and America (American dollars 13.5 ($A19.29) per kilogram over 12 weeks), 23 weight loss was achieved at considerably less cost in both of this study's intervention groups. The associated decreases in blood pressure were achieved at no further cost and without recourse to increased medication.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Nutritional counselling in general practice: a cost effective analysis

Pritchard

Hyndman

Taba

1999

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

124

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Study objective-To study the clinical and cost outcomes of providing nutritional counselling to patients with one or more of the following conditions: overweight, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Design-The study was designed as a random controlled trial. Consecutive patients were screened opportunistically for one or more of the above conditions and randomly allocated to one of two intervention groups (doctor/dietitian or dietitian) or a control group. Both intervention groups received six counselling sessions over 12 months from a dietitian. However, in the doctor/dietitian group it was the doctor and not the dietitian who invited the patient to join the study and the same doctor also reviewed progress at two of the six counselling sessions. Setting-The study was conducted in a university group general practice set in a lower socioeconomic outer suburb of Perth, Western Australia. Patients-Of the 273 patients randomly allocated to a study group, 198 were women. Age ranged from 25 to 65 years. Seventy eight per cent of patients resided in the lower two socioeconomic quartiles, 56 per cent described their occupation as home duties and 78 per cent were partnered. Results-Both intervention groups reduced weight and blood pressure compared with the control group. Patients in the doctor/dietitian group were more likely to complete the 12 month programme than those in the dietitian group. Patients in the doctor/dietitian group lost an average of 6.7 kg at a cost of $A9.76 per kilogram, while the dietitian group lost 5.6 kg at a cost of $A7.30 per kilogram. Conclusion-General practitioners, in conjunction with a dietitian, can produce significant weight and blood pressure improvement by health promotion methods. (J Epidemiol Community Health 1999;53:311-316)

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The cost of losing: an analysis of commercial weight-loss programs in a metropolitan area.

Cited by 26 publications

References 10 publications

Weight-Loss Strategies Used by the General Population: How Are They Perceived?

Weight-Loss Strategies Used by the General Population: How Are They Perceived?

Cost-effectiveness of a primary care intervention to treat obesity

Nutritional counselling in general practice: a cost effective analysis

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