Mediators and moderators of successful population-level weight management in primary care: results from the PATHWEIGH cluster-randomized pragmatic trial.

What was studied

This study looked at a weight program called PATHWEIGH in primary care clinics. The clinics were in Colorado, USA. The program reached 274,182 patients across 56 clinics. Clinics were put into groups by chance. Each group moved from usual care to the program at a set time. The program had support from health system leaders. It also used tools in the computer health record. It also taught doctors about obesity care. This report asked which factors were tied to good weight results.

What they found

Most subgroups of patients did better with the program than with usual care. Some lost more weight. Some gained less weight. Others went from gaining weight to losing weight. Use of the computer record tools explained part of the extra weight loss. Use of a drug for obesity explained a smaller part. These links were seen over 18 months. The abstract reports these results were unlikely to be due to chance.

What it means for patients

The authors say the program had good effects on weight across the subgroups. The effect was clearest when a patient or doctor used at least 1 record tool. They tie part of the extra weight loss to these tools.

Why it is not certain yet

The abstract does not give how much weight each subgroup lost or gained. It does not report any harms. Results cover 18 months, and longer effects are not given. In this kind of trial, groups start at different times. Trends over time could then affect the results.

Source

Mediators and moderators of successful population-level weight management in primary care: results from the PATHWEIGH cluster-randomized pragmatic trial.

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