A novel approach to training students in delivering evidence-based obesity treatment.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Obesity is a major public health concern because of its prevalence, serious health consequences, and costs. Many health care providers believe they have been inadequately trained to treat obesity and, as a result, often do not address patients' weight. Despite recommendations to improve knowledge and skills so they can more effectively address obesity, health care educational curricula are already overburdened with content and have been slow to respond to these recommendations.
METHODS: Interprofessional health care students voluntarily participated in an extracurricular service-learning opportunity to learn about the evidence-based treatment of obesity. A multidisciplinary team of weight management professionals taught didactic lessons and oversaw the service-learning component of training. An essential element of the training was the students' delivery of a free 10-week weight management intervention to low-income overweight and obese community residents.
RESULTS: Patients in both the student-led (n=25) and professional-led (n=21) programs lost a statistically and clinically significant amount of weight. Additionally, there was no significant difference in weight loss between the two programs, even after taking into account differences in attendance between the two programs.
CONCLUSIONS: An extracurricular service-learning program pairing brief didactic instruction with experiential learning appears to be a viable strategy for accomplishing the important dual objectives of preparing health care students to treat obesity and providing much-needed treatment to those in our community who are least able to afford it.