[Dietary guidelines on obesity at Danish pharmacies. Results of a 12-week course with a 1-year follow-up. Research Group on Human Nutrition, Frederiksberg].

The increasing prevalence of obesity has created a need for alternative counselling sites. This retrospective study evaluates the results of a 12 week slimming course for obese subjects held at Danish pharmacies at one year follow-up. Two hundred and sixty-nine obese (BMI > 25 kg/m2, 32 +/- 4.5 [mean +/- SD]) paid 550 Dkr each for a 12 weeks slimming course held at 19 Danish pharmacies with groups of 8-20 subjects each. The age was between 18 to 81 years, 259 were females. The course included eight sessions of 1 1/2 hour education in nutrition and physiology aiming for a dietary change toward a low-fat, high carbohydrate diet. Self-reported body weight was assessed on at the pharmacy scale before and after the course and again after three, six and 12 months follow-up. One hundred and ninety-one or 71% of subjects completed the 12 week slimming programme. The average weight loss was 5.3 and 6.2 kg among females and males, respectively. The weight loss maintenance was assessed at one year follow-up in 122 (45%) of the subjects who entered the course and was 4.0 and 6.7 kg in 118 females and four males, respectively. At one year follow-up 40 subjects (20%) of the subjects who completed the course had maintained a weight loss > 5 kg. In conclusion, the initial weight loss, and maintenance and drop-out rate are comparable with results from general practitioners and hospital out-patient clinics, but the costs are substantially lower.