Research

Adherence

A 12-month telephone-based lifestyle intervention delivers moderate, sustained weight loss (mean -4.25 kg) comparable to face-to-face programs, with a lower dropout rate (35%) than traditional face-to-face group sessions.

If you struggle with the time or cost of in-person weight loss programs, a structured telephone coaching program can help you lose about 4 kg over a year. The key is regular contact (phone calls and texts) that keeps you accountable to small, sustainable changes in diet and activity, rather than rapid, extreme restrictions. This approach may be easier to stick with long-term than traditional group sessions.

ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
The telephone-based lifestyle program results in a moderate weight loss after 12 months, which may be comparable to face-to-face interventions. ... In our program, the dropout rate was approximately 35% which is small compared to weight loss studies with high attrition rates of up to 90%.
Christina Holzapfel et al. · Obesity Facts · 2016

Why this rating

Real-world pragmatic trial with self-reported data and no control group, but large sample size (n=398) and long duration (12 months).

Source

One-Year Weight Loss with a Telephone-Based Lifestyle Program

Christina Holzapfel et al. · Obesity Facts · 2016

DOI 10.1159/000445381

cohort · n=398Cited 10×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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