The feasibility of a telephone-based weight loss intervention in rural Ohio: A pilot study

• Published in: PloS one 2023-03, Vol.18 (3), p.e0282719-e0282719
• Main Authors: Zhang, Xiaochen, Chaplow, Zachary L, Bowman, Jessica, Shoben, Abigail, Felix, Ashley S, DeScenza, Victoria R, Kilar, Megan, Focht, Brian C, Paskett, Electra D
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Active control; Behavior; Behavior modification; Biology and Life Sciences; Body weight; Body weight loss; Brochures; Cancer; Care and treatment; Counseling; Diet; Exercise; Feasibility; Feasibility Studies; Female; Females; Health aspects; Health disparities; Health insurance; Health risks; Humans; Intervention; Lifestyles; Male; Medical research; Medicine and Health Sciences; Metabolism; Methods; Middle Aged; Mortality; Nutrition; Nutrition research; Obesity; Obesity - prevention & control; Ohio; Oncology, Experimental; Overweight; Overweight - prevention & control; Patient education; Physical activity; Physical fitness; Pilot Projects; Polls & surveys; Prevention; Requirements; Research and Analysis Methods; Rural areas; Rural population; Rural populations; Skin cancer; Social support; Surveys; Telemedicine; Telephone; Testing; Urban areas; Weight control; Weight Loss
• ISSN: 1932-6203; 1932-6203
• DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0282719

Weight loss through lifestyle modification can produce health benefits and may reduce cancer risk. The goal of this study was to examine the feasibility of and adherence to a 15-week telephone-based weight loss intervention in rural Ohio, an area with high rates of obesity. This pilot 2-arm randomized controlled study was designed for rural Ohio residents who were overweight or obese. Eligible participants were 2:1 randomly assigned to either a 15-week weight loss intervention group or active control group. The weight loss intervention group received weekly telephone sessions to improve healthy diet and increase physical activity. The active control group received education brochures with information on physical activity and dietary guidelines. Feasibility was defined as at least 80% of participants completing the follow-up surveys, and acceptable adherence was defined as the percentage of participants in the weight loss group who attend ≥75% of weekly telephone sessions. A total of 423 individuals entered the online screening survey, 215 (50.8%) completed the survey, and 98 (45.6%) of those were eligible. Forty eligible individuals were enrolled and randomly assigned to the weight loss group (n = 27) or active control group (n = 13). The average age of the weight loss group was 49 (SD = 10) years, and 89% were female. The average age of the active control group was 51 (SD = 9) years, and 92% were female. Feasibility was demonstrated: 90% of participants completed the online follow-up surveys at 15-weeks. Among participants in the weight loss group, 22 out of 27 (81.5%) completed the 15-week intervention, the average number of sessions attended was 9.7 (64.9%). Adherence to the intervention was rated as acceptable among almost half of the group (48.1%). Feasibility of a 15-week telephone-based weight loss study among rural residents with overweight/obesity were determined. A future study will test this intervention for weight loss efficacy.