What is it about?
Tested a remote weight loss program for obese Veterans with mental illness (called CoachToFit) using an app that pushes out diet and exercise education and records health information that is sent to a dashboard viewed by a peer specialist coach, who meets weekly with the participant by phone for 6 months. Compared to Veterans not in the program, those in CoachToFit lost more weight by 6 months. As part of the trial, we looked at what predicted the weight loss, something no one had done before for this population. We found that increasing physical activity and increasing confidence in being to engage in positive health behaviors predicted the weight loss observed.
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Why is it important?
Obesity costs the VA millions annually in additional healthcare costs. CoachToFit could help the VA reach those with mental illness much more effectively.
Perspectives
It was gratifying to help Veterans with mental illness lose weight after many of them had tried unsuccessfully for years.
Matthew Chinman
Rand Corporation
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Predictors of Weight Loss Among Adults With Mental Illness: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial, Psychiatric Services, May 2026, American Psychiatric Association,
DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.20250605.
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