Provider and staff perceptions of veterans' attrition from a national primary care weight management program

TY - JOUR

T1 - Provider and staff perceptions of veterans' attrition from a national primary care weight management program

AU - Arigo, Danielle

AU - Hooker, Stephanie

AU - Funderburk, Jennifer

AU - Dundon, Margaret

AU - Dubbert, Patricia

AU - Evans-Hudnall, Gina

AU - Catanese, Sarah

AU - O'Donohue, Jenny

AU - Dickinson, Eva Maria

AU - DeMasi, Christine

AU - Downey, Sheri

AU - DeSouza, Cyrus

PY - 2015/4/1

Y1 - 2015/4/1

N2 - OBJECTIVES: This study examined provider and staff perceptions of attrition from the Veterans Health Administration MOVE!(®) Weight Management Program as an initial step toward understanding attrition from primary care-based programs.PARTICIPANTS: MOVE!(®) clinicians, primary care providers, and other staff members who interacted with patients about participating in MOVE!(®) (n=754) from Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers throughout the United States. Respondents were predominantly female (80.8%), Caucasian (79.2%), and trained as nurses (L.P.N., R.N., or N.P.; 50%).RESULTS: Respondents indicated that veterans experienced practical barriers to attendance (eg, transportation and scheduling difficulties) and desire for additions to the program (eg, a live exercise component). Low motivation was the primary factor identified by respondents as associated with dropout, particularly as noted by MOVE!(®) clinicians (versus other providers/staff; P<0.01).CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that programmatic changes, such as adding additional meeting times or in-session exercise time, may be of benefit to MOVE!(®). In addition, increasing the use of techniques such as Motivational Interviewing among providers who refer patients to MOVE!(®) may improve participant engagement in MOVE!(®) and other primary care-based weight management programs. Further research is needed to effectively identify those likely to withdraw from weight management programs before achieving their goals, and the reasons for withdrawal.BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are growing problems for primary care. Although effective weight management programs exist, these programs experience significant attrition, which limits effectiveness.MEASURE: Participants completed a web-mediated survey; items assessed agreement with personal and programmatic reasons for dropout, and allowed respondents to indicate the number one reason for dropout in an open-ended format. This survey was adapted from an existing tool designed to capture patient perceptions.

AB - OBJECTIVES: This study examined provider and staff perceptions of attrition from the Veterans Health Administration MOVE!(®) Weight Management Program as an initial step toward understanding attrition from primary care-based programs.PARTICIPANTS: MOVE!(®) clinicians, primary care providers, and other staff members who interacted with patients about participating in MOVE!(®) (n=754) from Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers throughout the United States. Respondents were predominantly female (80.8%), Caucasian (79.2%), and trained as nurses (L.P.N., R.N., or N.P.; 50%).RESULTS: Respondents indicated that veterans experienced practical barriers to attendance (eg, transportation and scheduling difficulties) and desire for additions to the program (eg, a live exercise component). Low motivation was the primary factor identified by respondents as associated with dropout, particularly as noted by MOVE!(®) clinicians (versus other providers/staff; P<0.01).CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that programmatic changes, such as adding additional meeting times or in-session exercise time, may be of benefit to MOVE!(®). In addition, increasing the use of techniques such as Motivational Interviewing among providers who refer patients to MOVE!(®) may improve participant engagement in MOVE!(®) and other primary care-based weight management programs. Further research is needed to effectively identify those likely to withdraw from weight management programs before achieving their goals, and the reasons for withdrawal.BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity are growing problems for primary care. Although effective weight management programs exist, these programs experience significant attrition, which limits effectiveness.MEASURE: Participants completed a web-mediated survey; items assessed agreement with personal and programmatic reasons for dropout, and allowed respondents to indicate the number one reason for dropout in an open-ended format. This survey was adapted from an existing tool designed to capture patient perceptions.

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84943523973

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84943523973#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1017/S1463423614000139

DO - 10.1017/S1463423614000139

M3 - Article

C2 - 24589352

SN - 1463-4236

VL - 16

SP - 147

EP - 156

JO - Primary Health Care Research and Development

JF - Primary Health Care Research and Development

IS - 2

ER -