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1 Professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Albany College of Pharmacy,
Albany, NY
2 Associate Professor, Division of Clinical Nutrition, Albany Medical College,
Albany
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, SUNY-Albany, Albany
Reprints: Dr. Malone, Department of Pharmacy Practice, Albany College of Pharmacy, 106 New Scotland Ave., Albany, NY 12208-3492, fax 518/445-7302, malonem{at}acp.edu
BACKGROUND: The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity in the US has received widespread attention and is highlighted in recent government-issued health priorities. While there are many weight loss programs in different settings, few include pharmacist involvement in spite of pharmacists' recognized easy accessibility to the public.
OBJECTIVE: To provide insight into a successful, collaborative, multidisciplinary approach to weight management and to encourage pharmacists and other healthcare professionals to adopt a similar approach to patient management.
METHODS: Adult patients >18 years of age were recruited from an outpatient university-based setting to participate in a weight management program. The principles of the program included diet, exercise, and behavior modification. The program was conducted through weekly one-hour group sessions held over a 20-week period. Faculty involved in the program included an attending physician specializing in nutrition, a pharmacist, and a behavioral psychologist. All data are expressed as mean ± SD unless otherwise specified.
RESULTS: Ninety participants (74 female, mean age 48 ± 10 y) entered the program between April 2001 and April 2004. Participants had multiple obesity-related comorbid diseases. The weight of completers (n = 59) decreased from 100.9 ± 20 kg at baseline to 97.3 ± 19.5 kg at 10 weeks and 95.9 ± 20 kg at 20 weeks. Thirty-nine patients completed both baseline and final assessments, which showed improvement in health-related quality of life, binge-eating behavior, and depressive symptoms (p < 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: This program is a successful multidisciplinary model for the management of overweight and obese patients in an outpatient-based hospital setting.
Key Words: multidisciplinary approach, obesity
Published Online, November 15, 2005. www.theannals.com, DOI 10.1345/aph.1G287
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