Early-phase study of a telephone-based intervention to reduce weight regain among bariatric surgery patients.

OBJECTIVE: This study describes early-phase development of a behavioral intervention to reduce weight regain following bariatric surgery. We utilized the Obesity-Related Behavioral Intervention Trials model to guide intervention development and evaluation. We sought to establish recruitment, retention, and fidelity monitoring procedures; evaluate feasibility of utilizing weight from the electronic medical record (EMR) as an outcome; observe improvement in behavioral risk factors; and evaluate treatment acceptability. METHOD: The intervention comprised 4 weekly telephone calls addressing behavior change strategies for diet, physical activity, and nutrition supplement adherence and 5 biweekly calls addressing weight loss maintenance constructs. Veterans (N = 33) who received bariatric surgery 9-15 months prior consented to a 16-week, pre-post study. Self-reported outcomes were obtained by telephone at baseline and 16 weeks. Clinic weights were obtained from the EMR 6 months pre- and postconsent. Qualitative interviews were conducted at 16 weeks to evaluate treatment acceptability. We aimed to achieve a recruitment rate of ≥ 25% and retention rate of ≥ 80%, and have ≥ 50% of participants regain < 3% of their baseline weight. RESULTS: Results supported the feasibility of recruiting (48%) and retaining participants (93% provided survey data; 100% had EMR weight). Pre-post changes in weight (73% with < 3% weight regain) and physical activity (Cohen's ds 0.38 to 0.52) supported the potential for the intervention to yield clinically significant results. Intervention adherence (mean 7.8 calls of 9 received) and positive feedback from interviews supported treatment acceptability. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention should be evaluated in an adequately powered randomized controlled trial. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Duke Scholars

Author Kelli Dominick Allen Medicine, General Internal Medicine

Author Maren Karine Olsen Biostatistics & Bioinformatics, Division of Biostatistics