A COMPREHENSIVE WEIGHT-LOSS PROGRAM FOR SOLDIERS

A weight-loss treatment program for active duty military personnel is discussed and evaluated. The Fat Loss and Exercise Program at U.S. Arm y Hospital, Bremerhaven, Germany, consisted of a 3-week inpatient trea tment program and 6 months of weekly outpatient follow-up. The program combined a multidisciplinary team approach to the treatment of obesit y-psychology, internal medicine, nursing, nutrition care, and physical therapy. Patients showed a significant weight and body fat loss [F(2, 90) = 52.91 and 65.85, p < 0.001, respectively] from the initiation of treatment (mean = 205.9 pounds, 28.91%) to the end of the inpatient p rogram [mean = 192.8 pounds, 25.97%] with maintenance over 6 months (m ean = 190.4 pounds, 25.03%). Changes in cholesterol levels by treatmen t phase are also discussed. Results demonstrate positive increases in high-density lipoprotein at each phase. These results support a compre hensive, multidisciplinary inpatient treatment of obesity within the m ilitary.