Adherence
Continued contact with community health workers (Group Maintenance) enables long-term weight loss maintenance in prediabetic adults, whereas self-directed maintenance leads to significant weight regain.
If you have successfully lost weight, do not stop all contact with your support system. The study shows that stopping structured support (Self-Directed Maintenance) leads to significant weight regain. Instead, maintain a low-level connection, such as monthly check-ins with a coach or health worker, to preserve the 'accountability' that helped you lose the weight in the first place. You do not need to attend every single session, but you do need to stay connected.
Participants in the GM arm maintained weight loss achieved in phases 1 and 2, while those in the SM arm regained weight.
Why this rating
Randomized controlled trial design with long-term follow-up (48 months), though attendance was low and non-specific.
Source
Long-term Weight Loss Maintenance in the Continuation of a Randomized Diabetes Prevention Translational Study: The Healthy Living Partnerships to Prevent Diabetes (HELP PD) Continuation Trial
Mara Z. Vitolins et al. · Diabetes Care · 2019
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