Virtual Weight Loss in Times of COVID

• Published in: Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) Md.), 2021-12, Vol.29, p.188-188
• Main Authors: Bianchi, Daniel, Liang, Jake, Griebeler, Marcio
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Coronaviruses; COVID-19
• ISSN: 1930-7381; 1930-739X

Background: Phentermine is the most commonly prescribed anti-obesity medication for weight loss. Until the COVID-19 pandemic, most US States required in-person visits to prescribe phentermine. However, in the face of COVID-19, these laws were loosened, allow-ing for the prescribing of phentermine via virtual visits. A comparison of weight loss outcomes between the virtual and in-person visit prescribing of phentermine have not been reported. Methods: We compared weight loss of patients who received inperson visits plus phentermine to those who received virtual visits plus phentermine at the Cleveland Clinic Endocrine and Metabolism Institute during the period of January 2019 to February 2020 for in-person visits, and March 2020 to October 2020 for virtual visits. Patients were included if they completed at least one month of phentermine and up to three consecutive months (the maximum allowed in the State of Ohio). The data was analyzed using a mixed model for repeated measures (MMRM) for percentage change from baseline in weight in kilograms. Results: A total of 911 patients attended in-person visits and 96 attended virtual visits. The majority were female (87% vs 92%), with an average age of 46.8 vs 44.7 years. The baseline mean weight was 107kg (SD 24.3kg) in the in-person group and 104.4kg (SD 24.4) for the virtual group (P value = 0.9007). Each group had statistically significant percentage declines in weight at 1 month -2.2%(P < .0001) and -2.6% (P < .01), 2 months -3.65% (P < .0001) and -4.7% (P < .01) and 3 months -3.73% (P < .01) vs -3.34% (P > 0.05 - not significant). Between groups we saw a greater decline in weight in the virtual group in months 1: -0.39% (P = value 0.3644) and month 2: 1.03% (P = 0.0252, statistically significant difference), but a greater, though not statistically significant decline in weight in the in-person group: 0.3987% decline (P = 0.67). Although by month 3 only 10 patients remained in the virtual group. Overall, among in-person patients, 40% experienced >5% weight reduction, 5.1% had >10% weight reduction, and 0.5% had >15% weight reduction. Among the virtual visit group, 45% experienced a >5%, 12.5% had >10%, and 1.3% had >15% weight reduction. Conclusions: Our results suggest that virtual weight loss visits combined with phentermine use are similarly effective when compared to in-person visits for achieving weight loss.