Retention and weight outcomes after transitioning an intensive behavioral weight management program from an in-person to a virtual format.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Virtual care offers many potential advantages over traditional in-person care for people with chronic diseases including obesity. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, virtual care was not broadly implemented because of regulatory, legal, and reimbursement barriers.

Objective

To evaluate the impact of the transition from an entirely in-person format to a virtual format during the COVID-19 pandemic on retention and weight reduction in a 2-year, structured, intensive behavioral weight management program for people with moderate to severe obesity.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study of 1313 program participants stratified according to the phase of the program during which the transition to virtual visits occurred.

Results

Age, sex, and baseline weight were indep

SUBMITTER: Rothberg AE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10551110 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature