Abstract
Registered Dietitian (RD) services as part of insurance wellness programs offer a promising potential venue for improving public health. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of RD nutrition counseling services provided as part of an insurance benefit on body weight and associated health parameters. Eligible members could enroll to receive 6 RDs visits a year for assistance with weight management. The study RDs were randomized into either Usual Care (UC) or Lifestyle Case Management (LCM) groups. Body weight, waist circumference, and systolic and diastolic blood pressure measurements of program enrollees were evaluated for between group as well as start and end program comparisons. There was a statistically significant difference in the number of RD follow-up visits between the two groups as LCM patients had more RD contact than UC patients. Weight and waist circumference changes from baseline to end of study show statistically significant changes with a trend for improvement in systolic blood pressure. Additionally, a clinically significant reduction in weight was achieved in a quarter of program enrollees. In conclusion this study shows that through a coordinated health promotion program RDs’ services are of value to an insured population.
Highlights
Accumulating evidence supports the benefit of Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) provided by Registered Dietitian (RD) in improving health related parameters
Age and gender were obtained from BCBSNC’s membership records, and diabetes was self-reported by the study participant on the Member Health Partnerships (MHP) program enrollment survey
The first set of measurements was taken at the first RD counseling session following enrollment in the study, termed “program entry”
Summary
Accumulating evidence supports the benefit of Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) provided by RDs in improving health related parameters. Whether it is one counseling session or multiple counseling sessions, RD services improve chronic disease management [1,2,3,4,5]. Provision of RD nutrition counseling services as part of insurance program wellness benefits presents an opportunity to reduce body weight and improve the health of Americans. The goal of this project was to compare the effectiveness of RD counseling services offered as an insurance benefit, before and at the end of program completion on weight, waist circumference, systolic and diastolic blood pressure. A secondary goal was to assess if motivational interviewing (MI) has additional benefit when added to behavioral counseling strategies
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