Habit-based interventions for weight loss maintenance in adults with overweight and obesity: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES

The objective of this study was to determine whether habit-based interventions are clinically beneficial in achieving long-term (12-month) weight loss maintenance and explore whether making new habits or breaking old habits is more effective.

METHODS

Volunteer community members aged 18-75 years who had overweight or obesity (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m) were randomized in a single-blind, three-arm, randomized controlled trial. Ten Top Tips (TTT), Do Something Different (DSD), and the attention-only waitlist (WL) control groups were conducted for 12 weeks from July to October 2015. Participants were followed up post-intervention (all groups) and at 6 and 12-month post-intervention (Ten Top Tips and Do Something Different only). The primary outcome was weight-loss maintenance at 12-month follow-up. Secondary outcomes included weight loss at all time points, fruit and vegetable consumption, exercise, wellbeing, depression, anxiety, habit strength, and openness to change.

RESULTS

Of the 130 participants assessed for eligibility, 75 adults (mean BMI 34.5 kg/m [SD 6.2]), with a mean age of 51 years were recruited. Assessments were completed post-intervention by 66/75 (88%) of participants and by 43/50 (86%) at 12 months. At post-intervention, participants in the Ten Top Tips (-3.3 kg; 95% CI -5.2, -1.4) and Do Something Different (-2.9 kg; 95% CI -4.3, -1.4) interventions lost significantly more weight (P = < .001) than those on the waitlist control (-0.4 kg; 95% CI -1.2, 0.3). Both intervention groups continued to lose further weight to the 12-month follow-up; TTT lost an additional -2.4 kg (95% CI -5.1, 0.4) and DSD lost -1.7 kg (95% CI -3.4, -0.1). At 12-month post-intervention, 28/43 (65%) of participants in both intervention groups had reduced their total body weight by ≥5%, a clinically important change.

CONCLUSIONS

Habit-based weight-loss interventions-forming new habits (TTT) and breaking old habits (DSD), resulted in clinically important weight-loss maintenance at 12-month follow-up.