Exploring the effectiveness of a 1.5-Year weight management intervention for adults with obesity.

BACKGROUND & AIM: Obesity is a growing healthcare problem in Arabic-speaking countries although the effectiveness of the lifestyle modification program for weight management in this region is still lacking. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess long-term outcomes following an adapted lifestyle modification program based on cognitive behavioral therapy for obesity (CBT-OB) in Lebanon.

METHODS

Forty-five adult participants with obesity were recruited consecutively at the Outpatient Clinic of the Department of Nutrition and Dietetics at Beirut Arab University (Lebanon). Patients were offered an individualized form of CBT-OB lasting 18 months comprising two phases (a weight loss phase of 6 months and a weight-maintenance phase of 12 months).

RESULTS

Twenty-five patients completed the treatment, with a mean weight loss of -11.58% after 6 months (-11.46% in the intention-to-treat analysis) and -8.84% after 18 months (-9.51% in the intention-to-treat analysis). Weight loss was associated with improvement in Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) at six-month follow-up and in glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and body composition patterns at 18-month follow-up.

CONCLUSION

Our findings provide evidence supporting the use of CBT-OB for obesity as a standard in 'real-world' clinical setting in Lebanon. Future studies are needed on larger samples and other populations in Arab-speaking countries.