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Application of Latent Class Analysis to Identify Behavioral Patterns of Response to Behavioral Lifestyle Interventions in Overweight and Obese Adults

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Abstract

Background

Examining responders and non-responders to behavioral lifestyle interventions among overweight/obese adults with additional comorbidities may aid in refining and tailoring obesity treatment.

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the use of latent class analysis to identify patterns of response to behavioral lifestyle interventions based on adherence to diet and exercise recommendations.

Method

Repeated measures latent class analysis was applied to two clinical trial datasets, combination of two active interventions in the PREMIER Trial (n = 501) and phase 1 of the Weight Loss Maintenance Trial (WLM; n = 1685), to identify patterns of response to behavioral lifestyle interventions. Treatment response was based on adherence to daily recommendations for fruit/vegetable, fat, saturated fat, sodium, and exercise at baseline and 6 months.

Results

In PREMIER, three distinct latent classes emerged: responders (45.9 %), non-responders (23.6 %), and early adherers (30.5 %). Responders and Early Adherers had greater weight loss at 6 and 18 months and were more likely to meet behavioral recommendations at 18 months than Non-responders. For WLM, there were four latent classes: partial responders (16 %), non-responders (40 %), early adherers (2 %), and fruit/veggie only responders (41 %). Non-responders in WLM had significantly less weight loss at 6 months compared to that of the other three latent classes.

Conclusion

Latent class analysis is a useful method to apply to clinical trial data to identify distinct patterns of response to behavioral interventions. Overweight/ obese participants who respond to behavioral lifestyle treatment (i.e., meet behavioral recommendations) have significantly greater weight loss than that of participants who do not make behavioral changes.

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Conflict of Interest

Lawrence Appel, Janelle Coughlin, Arlene Dalcin, and Gerald Jerome have an institutional (Johns Hopkins University) conflict of interest with Healthways, Inc.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Preventive Medicine, Rush University Medical Center, 1700 W. Van Buren St., Room 478A, Chicago, IL, 60607, USA

    Stephanie L. Fitzpatrick

  2. Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Janelle W. Coughlin

  3. Department of Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Lawrence J. Appel, Gerald J. Jerome, Arlene Dalcin & Felicia Hill-Briggs

  4. Department of Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Crystal Tyson

  5. Center for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, OR, USA

    Victor J. Stevens

  6. Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, USA

    Phillip J. Brantley

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  1. Stephanie L. Fitzpatrick
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Correspondence to Stephanie L. Fitzpatrick.

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Fitzpatrick, S.L., Coughlin, J.W., Appel, L.J. et al. Application of Latent Class Analysis to Identify Behavioral Patterns of Response to Behavioral Lifestyle Interventions in Overweight and Obese Adults. Int.J. Behav. Med. 22, 471–480 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-014-9446-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12529-014-9446-y

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