Technical skills for weight loss: 2-y follow-up results of a randomized trial

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the sustained effectiveness of a novel skill-based intervention for weight loss. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial. SUBJECTS: A total of 80 overweight/obese women living in Connecticut. MEASUREMENTS: Absolute weight difference measured in pounds and absolute change in body mass index (BMI). Secondary outcomes included changes in food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) data and waist-to-hip ratio. RESULTS: In all 61, 35, and 34% of study participants completed the 6-, 12-, and 24-month assessments, respectively. At 6 months postintervention, both counseling-based (CBI) and skill-based (SBI) intervention groups had statistically significant decreases in absolute weight (4.0±3.6 and 1.7±3.0 kg, respectively). Compared to their baseline values, both CBI and SBI groups still maintained weight losses at 24 months (1.1±5.8 and 0.59±3.3 kg, respectively); however, the differences were not statistically significant. FFQ results showed that, within the SBI group, there was a significant decrease ( P