Effectiveness of Fit and Trimmed Staffs (FATS) program on weight management among the healthcare providers at Simpang Health Clinic, Perak: A pre-post interventional study

Abstract

Introduction: Obesity is associated with an increased risk for non-communicable diseases. Local studies have shown that 33.1% of healthcare providers (HCPs) are overweight, while 21.1% are obese. Interventions that consist of diet, physical exercise and cognitive behavioural training have been shown to be successful in reducing weight. Methods: We designed a weight loss programme for our HCPs named the ‘Fit and Trimmed Staff’ programme, which consisted of 3 months of group education on obesity-related health problems led by a doctor, a pharmacist, a nutritionist and an occupational therapist among HCPs. Monthly individual dietary counselling by a nutritionist was also provided for 6 months. We measured the body weight, body mass index, percentage of body fat, visceral fat and percentage of skeletal muscle of the HCPs before and after the intervention. Results: Forty-five (56.25%) HCPs at Simpang Health Clinic were either overweight or obese; the majority of them were drivers and administrative clerks (100%), followed by health attendants (69.2%) and medical assistants (63.6%). At 6 months post-intervention, there was a trend towards a non-significant reduction in the fat percentage (median=-0.8%, P=0.423). Approximately 42% (n=19) of the HCPs lost weight, while 58% gained weight. Weight loss was observed more commonly in the male HCPs (>50%) than in the female HCPs. Conclusion: A weight loss programme solely consisting of health discussion and nutritional advice is inadequate to induce weight reductions. A multimodal approach may be considered in managing weight among HCPs.

Patients’ experience of accessing healthcare for obesity in Peninsular Malaysia: a qualitative descriptive study

“…One of the key weight management services is nutrition counselling by nutritionists or dietitians in government health clinics 14 15. Some primary care clinics and tertiary hospitals run obesity management services either as clinical consultations or medically supervised weight reduction programmes 16–18. Each service’s availability, structure and methods vary based on the managing teams’ preference and feasibility of human resources.…”

“…Yet, experiences from patients’ perspectives are under-explored in Malaysia. Previous studies focus on PwO’s strategies to reduce weight16 18 but not on the interaction with healthcare. An earlier study on people’s perception of weight management was limited to services provided by community pharmacies, which were found to be underused by the patients in the survey 21.…”

“…14 15 Some primary care clinics and tertiary hospitals run obesity management services either as clinical consultations or medically supervised weight reduction programmes. [16][17][18] Each service's availability, structure and methods vary based on the managing teams' preference and feasibility of human resources. Some tertiary centres in Malaysia provide surgical management for obesity.…”