Authors (including presenting author) :
TAM KO(1), CHOI YC(1)
Affiliation :
(1)Dietetic Department, Tuen Mun Hospital, New Territories West Cluster, Hong Kong
Introduction :
Obesity is now a pandemic associated with increased risk for severe non-communicable diseases. The Dietetic Department of Tuen Mun Hospital currently runs the Weight Reduction (WTR) Program for treatment of obesity.
Objectives :
To review the effectiveness of the WTR program, and to identify the characteristics of successful participants. Outcome measures: weight change, percentage weight change, percentage fat change and skeletal muscle mass status.
Methodology :
A retrospective observational study was conducted from October 2017 through September 2018.
About 220 patients are enrolled into our Weight Reduction (WTR) Program each year. The program lasts for 9 months with 3 group sessions and 2 individual sessions and is run by one designated dietitian. Body composition analysis using InBody770-body composition analyser was conducted to keep track the progress. Clinical parameters such as body weight, body fat mass, body fat percentage and skeletal muscle mass of each enrolled individual are also collected. Patients who did not complete at least 3 sessions (re-schedule was allowed) were excluded in the study. Patients with metal implantations were excluded from body fat analysis for safety and accuracy purposes.
Result & Outcome :
Results: Two hundred and twenty-three participants were enrolled within the study period, 44 had missing data, therefore 179 was used. Of the 179 participants (71 Male and 108 Female), 130 completed at least three sessions (3 month), 28 completed the whole program (9 month). Of the 28 participants who completed the 9 month WTR program, 46.43% (n=13) achieved ≥5% weight loss (Mean= -6.88%). Of the 130 participants who completed 3 sessions of WTR program, and yet to complete the remaining 2 sessions, only 7.69% (n=10) of participants achieved ≥5% weight loss (Mean=-6.22%). All successful weight losers were able to maintain the skeletal muscle mass.
Conclusion: The WTR program is an effective treatment for weight reduction if the participant is able to complete the 9-month program. It appears that the length of time and individual therapy component are crucial factors for successful weight loss in this program.
The small sample size is the major limitation of this study. However, the results have proven the WTR program to be effective and further study is warranted. In future, strategies to reduce drop-out rate should also be investigated.
Co-location with:
