Effective medical treatment of obesity among immigrant women in primary care

Abstract

Background

The prevalence of obesity among the general US adults is 42 %. With increasing immigrant population in the US, the obesity burden among immigrants in the US has been reported to approach or exceed that of the general US population. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report obesity treatment among immigrants in the US. The study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of obesity treatment among immigrant women in primary care at a safety-net academic health center in the US.

Methods

This was a retrospectively, electronic medical record chart review of patients who had virtual weight management visits in a primary care setting. Self-reported anthropometric and demographic data were used. Primary outcomes were changes in weight and BMI from initial to follow-up visits as well as bodyweight percentage change from initial weight. Secondary outcomes were ≥5 % and ≥10 % weight reduction. Chi-square or Fisher's exact tests were used for independent categorical variables. Paired t-tests were performed to evaluate the changes in weight and BMI.

Results

The study found average weight reduction of 8.6 kg (100.2–91.6, p < 0.01) which corresponds to an average of 8.7 % weight reduction among immigrant women in the program. The overall average BMI decreased by 3.4 kg/m² (38.1–34.1, p < 0.01). In the study, 85 % lost 5 % or more, and 42 % lost 10 % or more of their initial weight.

Conclusion

Immigrant women followed for weight management in primary care lost significant weight and BMI, and significant proportion of them achieved clinically meaningful weight reduction. Future large sample size and randomized controlled studies are needed to confirm the findings.