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Weight Watchers International press releases JAMA Study Shows That Weight Watchers Is More Effective Weight-Loss Method Than Self Help First published study of a 2-year randomized clinical trial involving a commercial weight-loss method shows efficacy of Weight Watchers program WOODBURY, NY (April 8, 2003) – A two-year comparative clinical study of dieting methods published in the April 9 issue of The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that dieters succeeded in losing more weight and maintained more of their weight loss by following the nation’s largest provider of commercial weight-loss services, Weight Watchers, than those who attempted to lose weight on their own, the approach used by the vast majority of dieters. An analysis of data collected at the end of the two-year study found that Weight Watchers participants maintained a mean weight loss of 6 pounds whereas self-help participants had on average returned to their starting weight. Further, Weight Watchers participants who reported attending 78% or more group meetings during the last 1-1/2 years of the study achieved better results with a median weight loss of 10 pounds. Research has confirmed that obesity-related health conditions are significantly improved with a modest weight loss. Commercial weight-loss programs provide treatment to millions of people yet their efficacy has not been evaluated in rigorous long-term trials. The purpose of this study was to compare the weight loss and health outcomes that result and are maintained using self-help attempts versus following a structured commercial program (Weight Watchers). “To date, there have been many publicized statistics to suggest that dieting in general does not work. However, this research distinguishes Weight Watchers by confirming its efficacy,” said Karen Miller-Kovach, M.S., R.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Weight Watchers International, Inc. According to the study’s authors, it is significant that these results were obtained in the context of a regular ongoing commercial program rather than in an academic or research setting. The authors emphasized that their findings are based on factors that are unique to the Weight Watchers program and should not be taken as representative of all commercial programs, many of which use other interventions, such as proprietary food products or diets that are not balanced. The study’s design was a multi-center, parallel-groups, randomized, 2-year longitudinal study conducted at six clinical centers between 1998 and 2001. Data was collected at weeks 0, 12, 26, 52, 78, and 104, by measuring participants’ weight, as well as other indicators of health and quality of life. Subjects consisted of 423 overweight or obese men and women, ages 18 - 65 years old, with a Body Mass Index (BMI) between 27 and 40. They were randomly placed into either a self-help or Weight Watchers group. Participants assigned to the self-help received 20-minute consultations with a registered dietitian, the first as they began the project and the second after 12 weeks. These individuals also received publicly available printed material orienting them to dietary principles and exercise guidelines for safe weight loss, and were given additional sources for information.

Subjects randomly assigned to the Weight Watchers group were provided with vouchers and information needed to enroll at any local Weight Watchers meeting. Weight Watchers weekly group meetings are approximately one hour in length and are led by successful program graduates who act as lecturers and role models, provide written educational materials, and conduct routine weigh-ins. Study participants were asked not to identify themselves as such to Weight Watchers staff. “We believe the success achieved by the Weight Watchers participants indicates the effectiveness of our comprehensive Program as well as the meeting experience, which supports and motivates people as they learn to lose weight and adopt a healthy lifestyle,” Miller-Kovach said. The multicenter research design simultaneously tracked the progress of both groups at each of six obesity research centers across the United States, with the New York Obesity Research Center at St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital and Columbia University serving as the Coordinating Center for the study. Leading scientists in the field of obesity collaborated in the study including, Stanley Heshka, NY Obesity Research Center, St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital and Columbia University; Frank Greenway, Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University; James W. Anderson, VA Medical Center, Lexington, and University of Kentucky; Richard L. Atkinson, Nutritional Sciences, University of Wisconsin; James O. Hill, Health Sciences, University of Colorado; Stephen Phinney, Department of Medicine, UC Davis, and Monsanto, Inc, Davis; Ronette L. Kolotkin, Obesity and Quality of Life Consulting, Durham, NC, Karen Miller-Kovach, M.S., R.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Weight Watchers International; and F. Xavier Pi-Sunyer, NY Obesity Research Center, St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital and Columbia University. This study was funded by a grant from the Weight Watchers Foundation.