Women losing weight did just as well with brief support from a nurse as those who got much more intensive sessions with dieticians and personal exercise trainers. The New Zealand scientists randomly assigned 200 women who had already lost 5 percent of their body weight to nurse-led support groups or to intensive intervention groups. The nurse support group involved weigh-ins every two weeks and a brief session with the nurse, 5 to 10 minutes, discussing diet and physical activity. Between weigh-ins, the nurse touched base with participants by phone.
Participants in the intensive intervention got 11 individualized sessions that lasted 35 minutes, along with two training sessions at a private gym. Fewer than half the women took advantage of the training sessions at the gym. After two years, 54 percent of the women given intensive intervention and 84 percent of those given nurse support felt that the intervention was helpful in managing their weight. The average weight loss of about 5 pounds was roughly the same in both groups.
[Canadian Medical Association Journal, May 12, 2009]
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/abstract/180/10/E39
