Dialing in: effect of telephonic wellness coaching on weight loss

To estimate the effect of telephonic wellness coaching on weight loss in a commercially insured population.Pre-post evaluation design.Self-reported weight was obtained from 2 annual health assessment questionnaires administered during 2008 and 2010. Baseline (T1) information from these questionnaires was used to identify overweight/obese individuals and to determine targets for a 4-call wellness coaching program. Overweight/obese individuals identified at T1 were classified into following groups: (1) targeted for wellness coaching (N = 1448, including 1050 participants and 398 nonparticipants); (2) not targeted for wellness coaching, but targeted for other telephonic wellness care management (WCM) programs (N = 1270); (3) not targeted for any WCM programs (N = 7586). Weight reported on questionnaires a year later (T2) was used to calculate weight change between T1 and T2. Paired t-tests were used to detect significant weight changes over time. Multivariable linear regressions were used to compare weight changes between the groups. Stratified analysis was conducted to determine the effectiveness of telephonic wellness coaching for subgroups based on participants' selected health goals, intensity of the intervention received and initial stage of change.The group targeted for wellness coaching reported an average weight change of -0.44 kg (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.76 to -0.16) at T2, significantly more weight loss than reported by the group not targeted for any WCM programs. Participants who started in preparation stage and completed the program reported weight change of -1.43 kg (95% CI, -2.17 to -0.68), highest among program participants.Small weight loss was observed for obese/individuals targeted for telephonic wellness coaching.