Effectiveness of Implementing The 5As of Obesity Management™ in a Primary Care Setting

Abstract

Obesity remains poorly managed in primary care. The 5As of Obesity Management™ provide a theory-driven, evidence-based minimal intervention designed to facilitate weigh management interventions. The aim of this project was to test the effectiveness of implementing this tool in primary care. Electronic self-administered surveys were completed by pre-screened obese subjects at the end of their appointments in four clinics (over 25 health care providers; HCP) from the SCPCN. These measurements were performed before (Baseline, n=51) and 4 weeks after a implementing the 5As of Obesity Management™ (post-intervention, n=51). Intervention consisted of one online training session (90min) and distribution of the 5As toolkit among HCPs of participating clinics. Subjects completing the survey before and after the intervention were comparable in terms of age, sex, BMI, comorbidities, satisfaction and self-reported health status (p>0.2). Implementing the 5As of Obesity Management™ resulted in a 2-fold increase in obesity management discussion initiation (19 vs. 39%, p=0.03) and caused a significant increase the perceived Follow-up/Coordination efforts (self-reported PACIC components, 45±22 vs. 67±12 pts, p=0.002), as well as the Assess (50±29 vs. 66±15 pts, p=0.03) and Assist (54±26 vs. 72±13 pts, p=0.01) components of the 5As framework. Our results suggest that implementing the 5As of Obesity Management™ facilitates weight management in primary care by favoring dialog initiation and providing and a structured management framework.