Twelve-month analysis of real-world evidence from a commercial telehealth obesity treatment provider

Abstract Telehealth for obesity treatment has many advantages, particularly as new anti-obesity medications (AOM) increase treatment demand. However, there is scant research on the effectiveness of large-scale telehealth obesity treatment. This retrospective cohort study analyzed data from adults who initiated AOM treatment with the WeightWatchers (WW) Clinic telehealth program between January 2022 to July 2023. N=53,590 individuals initiated treatment, and 6,089 had 12-month follow-up data. Patients were predominantly female with a mean BMI of 36.9 kg/m2. Average weight loss was 8.9% at 3 months in the initiation cohort, and 19.4% at 12 months in the 12-month cohort. Glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP1-RA) based treatments were predominant. Side effects were consistent with classes of medications used, and frequency declined over time. This real-world analysis of a telehealth-delivered obesity treatment program demonstrated outcomes consistent with recent phase 3 clinical trials of AOMs, suggesting generalizability beyond clinical trial and in-person settings.