Examining Reach and Implementation of an Evidence-based Weight Loss Program in Rural Primary Care

Detailed Summary

The majority of American adults do not meet recommended guidelines for healthy eating or physical activity and are overweight or obese, which puts them at risk for chronic disease, poor quality of life, and increased personal and public health care costs. Despite the development and success of a number of evidence-based weight management interventions, these programs have lacked systematic and consistent translation in clinical practice or community services. Further, few of these interventions have been tested in rural populations, where there is a disproportionally high number of obese individuals, and resources to support such programs are lacking. Primary care clinics have the necessary resources to support such programs, and might be the ideal setting to intervene and address concerns of weight loss and management in rural areas. The intent of the proposed project is to increase the capacity of primary care in rural Nebraska to translate evidence-based weight management approaches into practice, improve the speed of uptake and the likelihood of sustainability, and reach a large and representative group of individuals. To achieve this, the investigators will 1) conduct a limited effectiveness and feasibility study to determine impact on weight loss of 100 overweight and obese adult patients in a rural Nebraska primary care clinic, and 2) test multiple strategies for recruitment to determine best practices for program reach. The primary outcome for program effectiveness is percent body weight loss, and the primary outcome for program feasibility is reach, defined as the proportion of individuals who enroll in the program per each recruitment strategy. The proposed project provides a means of implementing an evidence-based weight loss program in rural Nebraska, has the capacity to create meaningful change in patient weight status, and has the potential to influence future efforts to translate evidence-based weight management programs into rural primary care practice.

Study Details

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Interventions