Wellness Coaching and Health-Related Quality of Life

Relationship of Weight-Related Eating Behaviors and Weight Loss of Participants Enrolled in a Proprietary Weight Loss Program

Background: There is a need for improving long-term success in meal replacement programs and identifying the variables that affect weight loss and maintenance in a proprietary weight loss program that includes health coaching. Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate weight-related eating behaviors of participants with clinically significant weight loss (CSWL) in a proprietary weight loss program. Study Design, Setting, and Participants: A cross-sectional sample of participants (n=1,454) enrolled in a proprietary weight-loss program that includes meal replacements and health coaching were queried via an on-line survey for weight-related eating behaviors and weight history. Main Outcome Measures and Analysis: Weight-related eating behaviors of routine restraint (RR), compensatory restraint (CR), susceptibility to external cues (SEC), and emotional eating (EE) were assessed using the Weight Related Eating Questionnaire. CSWL was defined as having achieved a weight loss greater than 10% of starting weight. Participants were dichotomized into those with CSWL (n=973) and with no CSWL (n=481). The relationship between CSWL (controlling for age and sex) as the dependent variable and weight-related eating behaviors (RR, CR, SEC, and EE) as the independent variables was assessed using logistic regression (Stata/SE 14). Results: Those with CSWL have higher odds of having RR (OR: 1.3, p<0.05) and CR (OR: 1.1, p<0.05) and lower odds of SEC (OR: 0.7, p<0.05) and EE (OR: 0.8, p<0.05) eating behaviors than those without CSWL. Conclusions: Weight-related eating behaviors of participants in proprietary meal replacement weight-loss programs who have successfully lost weight differ compared to those who have not. Knowledge of the relationship between CSWL and weight-related eating behaviors can be used by coaches to assist participants in reinforcing those behaviors that support weight-loss. These results are limited to participants who self-select for proprietary meal-replacement weight-loss programs and cannot be generalized to other weight-loss or maintenance programs.

Physician coaching to enhance well-being: a qualitative analysis of a pilot intervention

CONTEXT

Physicians in the United States increasingly confront stress, burnout, and other serious symptoms at an alarming level. As a result, there is growing public interest in the development of interventions that improve physician resiliency.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to evaluate the perceived impact of Physician Well-being Coaching on physician stress and resiliency, as implemented in a major medical center.

STUDY DESIGN

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 physician-participants, and three coaches of a Physician Well-being Coaching pilot focused on three main areas: life context, impacts of coaching, and coaching process.

PARTICIPANTS

Interviewees were physicians who completed between three and eight individual coaching sessions between October 2012 and May 2013 through the Physician Well-being Coaching pilot program.

ANALYSIS

Qualitative content analysis of the 11 physician interviews and three coach interviews using Atlas.ti to generate patterns and themes.

RESULTS

Physician Well-being Coaching helped participants increase resilience via skill and awareness development in the following three main areas: (1) boundary setting and prioritization, (2) self-compassion and self-care, and (3) self-awareness. These insights often led to behavior changes and were perceived by physicians to have indirect but positive impact on patient care.

CONCLUSIONS

Devaluing self-care while prioritizing the care of others may be a significant, but unnecessary, source of burnout for physicians. This study suggests that coaching can potentially help physicians alter this pattern through skill development and increased self-awareness. It also suggests that by strengthening physician self-care, coaching can help to positively impact patient care.