Weight reduction programmes at a rehabilitation centre and a health centre based on group counselling and individual support: short- and long-term follow-up study.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of two weight reduction programmes on moderately and severely obese subjects over a period of five years. The subjects were randomly divided into a rehabilitation centre group (RC group) and a health centre group (HC group). Treatment in the RC group consisted of a three-week in-patient weight reduction programme at a rehabilitation centre and in the HC group of a ten-week out-patient weight reduction course at a health centre. Treatment in both groups continued for up to 24 months with an individual follow-up at 1-2-month intervals by a general practitioner (GP) at the health centre. The subjects were 42 women and 10 men. The mean weight of women at the onset of the study was 104 kg and the mean BMI 39.5 kg/m2 and the respective means of men 121 kg and 40.1 kg/m2. The mean age of both sexes was 40 years. In the RC group the mean weight loss at 6, 12 and 24 months was 11.5, 9.1 and 5.9 kg in women, and 19.0, 18.3 and 11.2 kg in men, respectively. In the HC group the respective values were 5.5, 4.8 and 3.2 kg in women and 12.2, 6.7 and 2.8 kg in men. At the five-year follow-up the mean weight change from baseline was -6.8 kg in the men and $0.3 kg in the women of the RC group. In the HC group the mean weight returned to baseline level in both sexes.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)