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 (4.0+/-3.6 and 1.7+/-3.0 kg, respectively). Compared to their baseline values, both CBI and SBI groups still maintained weight losses at 24 months (1.1+/-5.8 and 0.59+/-3.3 kg, respectively); however, the differences were not statistically significant. FFQ results showed that, within the SBI group, there was a significant decrease (P<0.05) in percent fat from baseline to 12 months and a nearly significant decrease in saturated fat from baseline to 24 months (P=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.