Abstract
Weight loss interventions seldom include individuals with neurologic disease. The aims of the present study were to: 1) develop and assess the prefeasibility of a 6-month telehealth behavioral weight loss program for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and obesity and 2) examine changes in weight loss (primary outcome), physical activity, and fruit/vegetable consumption at follow-up. Participants with obesity and MS engaged in a 24-week weight loss program. Participants followed established diet, exercise, and self-monitoring guidelines and attended weekly online group meetings. Median percentage weight loss was 10.54 % (SD = 7.19). Participants who adhered more closely to the self-monitoring guidelines (r = 0.81, p =.02), and who averaged higher weekly active minutes (r = 0.91, p =.002) achieved greater percentage weight loss. Six of the eight pilot participants achieved clinically meaningful weight loss (>5%) after 6-months.
Citation
Cozart JS, Bruce AS, Befort C, Siengsukon C, Lynch SG, Punt S, Simon S, Shook RP, Huebner J, Bradish T, Robichaud J, Bruce JM. A pilot study evaluating the prefeasibility of a behavioral weight loss program in people with multiple sclerosis. Prev Med Rep. 2023 Sep 22;36:102437. doi: 10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102437. PMID: 37810265; PMCID: PMC10558767