Dietetic treatment improves BMI and physical activity level of overweight patients in the Netherlands, 2006-2011.

Obesity is epidemic and one of the major risk factors for several chronic diseases. Worldwide dietitians are challenged to treat obesity. However, the results of treatment by a registered dietitian (RD) have not been studied in a large primary healthcare setting. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the change in Body Mass Index (BMI) and level of physical activity, measured at the beginning and at the end of treatment, and to describe the percentage of achieved aims at the end of treatment in patients with overweight or obesity. Data were used from a Dutch registration network of allied healthcare professionals. Including data from 6,511 adult patients with overweight or obesity who underwent dietetic treatment between 2006 and 2011, treated by 28 RDs working in private practices in primary healthcare. Statistical signifi cances in mean BMI between the start and end of treatment were tested by paired two-sample t-tests, and chi2 tests for levels of physical activity. Patients’ mean BMI decreased from 31.9 ± 4.9 to 30.7 ± 5.0 at the end of treatment (p < 0.001). The percentage of patients who were physical active with a moderate-intensity for 30 minutes on at least five days each week improved from 42.0% to 61.9% at the end of the treatment (p < 0.001). At the end of treatment 40% of the patients achieved at least 75% of the treatment aims. Dietetic treatment of overweight or obesity seems to help improve patient’s BMI and level of physical activity. More research is necessary to study the effectiveness of dietetic treatment.