Effectiveness of a Multidisciplinary Treatment Program for Severe Obesity in Adults Based on the Clinically Significant Weight Loss

TL;DR

A multidisciplinary treatment program for severe obesity in adults led to clinically significant weight loss and improvements in body composition and insulin resistance.

Contribution

The study demonstrates the effectiveness of a structured multidisciplinary program for treating severe obesity in adults.

Findings

Participants in the top tercile lost 7.6% of their weight on average, a clinically significant result.

Body fat decreased by 12.7% and lean mass to fat mass ratio increased by 14.3% in the top tercile.

HOMA-IR, triglycerides, and hemoglobin A1C improved at rates exceeding body mass reduction.

Abstract

Background: Obesity is a chronic and complex disease; by its nature, it represents an enormous challenge to be solved and managed. For that matter, several guidelines have been published, but there is still a long way to go until concrete scaled results can be presented. Adults with obesity, and especially severe obesity, need to have access to treatment programs, but they are not available for the vast majority of the population. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary treatment program for obesity (MTPO) offered to adults (ages 18 to 50 years old) with a BMI over 30 kg/m2. Methods: Participants were invited through media ads, resulting in 404 participants for the first phase of that study, from whom the risk profile was assessed. After that, 180 participants (82.8% with severe obesity) concluded the MTPO, which consisted of 48 sessions of exercises and the same number of professional orientations about a healthy lifestyle, including the importance of being physically active, how to improve their eating habits, and how to control their emotions. Results: For the analysis of results, participants were grouped according to their weight loss in terciles, with the first, tercile presenting an average weight loss of 7.6%, which is considered clinically significant. In the same way, the average percental variations were even higher in this group for body fat (12.7%) and the lean mass to fat mass ratio (LM/FM), which increased by 14.3%. The homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance, HOMA-IR, was around 3 times the variation of body mass, whereas the triglycerides (TG) and the hemoglobin A1C (H1Ac) were around twice that rate. Conclusions: These results made clear the effectiveness of the MTPO, which needs to be tested in public health services.

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