Promoting Weight Loss: A Primary Care Intervention
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Authors
Walters, Shanna
Issue Date
2023-05-09
Keywords
Research Subject Categories::INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH AREAS::Caring sciences::Nursing , Body Mass Index , Weight Loss , Obesity , International Classification of Diseases
Description/Abstract
Problem: Approximately 80 million people in the United States are affected by obesity and the prevalence has increased by approximately 11% from 2017-2020. Providers are aware of the obesity risk factors and co-morbidities, but some still lack the knowledge to educate patients properly on weight reduction.
Methods: Data was collected over a four-month period in a primary care setting related to weight loss and education for patients with obesity. Descriptive statistics were summarized, and a quantitative analysis was used to determine if an educational toolkit was provided by the provider to patients with a BMI>35% and if the provider documented the patients’ correct BMIs within the Electronic Health Record.
Results: The average patient age was 65.7 and males and females were equally represented. Although the toolkit was consistently given to patients. the McNemars chi-square test performed did not show a significant difference in the documentation of weight loss education. Results of a Kruskal-Wallis rank sum test indicated that there was not a significant difference in BMIs pre- and post-implementation but 28.6% of patients experienced weight loss and 25% maintained their weight without additional gain.
Conclusion: Providers and patients received benefits from having access to an educational toolkit. Twenty-eight percent of patients experienced weight loss and 25% maintained their weight without any gain. There was a mild improvement in weight loss education documented by providers and the correct BMI was updated in the EMR for all patients in the study.
Keywords: weight loss, obese, BMI>35, eating habits, weight loss education, ICD 10 codes