Fortnightly Articles - Bridging the gap between science and society: long-term effects of the Healthy Lifestyle Community Programme on weight and the metabolic risk profile: a control - Forum

Summary

A 24-month, non-randomised, controlled intervention trial investigated the effect of an intensive healthy lifestyle programme, with seminars, workshops and coaching, on weight and metabolic risk profile.
143 participants were enrolled (91 in the intervention (IG) and 52 in the control group (CG)). The IG were younger, more often females, overweight and reported lower energy intake (kcal/day).
Weight significantly decreased in IG at all follow-ups by −1.5 ± 1.9 kg after 8 weeks to −1.9 ± 4.0 kg after 24 months and more than in CG (except after 24 months).
Being male, in the IG or overweight at baseline and having a university degree predicted more weight loss.
After the intervention, there were more participants in the IG with a ‘high’ adherence (+12%) to plant-based food patterns.
The changes of metabolic parameters did not follow a clear pattern. They were most distinct after 8 weeks and improved especially in people at elevated risk.

Discussion

Due to limited resources, the CG started with a delay of 6 months compared with IG and randomisation was not viable due to the nature of the real-world community approach. The non-randomisation may have led to a bias due to the selection of particularly motivated participants.
Missing data occurred for blood parameters at baseline, which was taken on a different day than other parameters and only 90% of participants were available in the IG. Further disparities of sample sizes occurred due to participants’ personal matters, for example, poor venous access.
Sample sizes in IG and CG dropped within the study course of 24 months (similarly in both groups) by around 50%. However, they analysed all the available data to avoid loss of information and overestimation of efficiency which can occur in all-case analyses.

Question to members

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