Objective: Persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) have a higher prevalence of being overweight than the general population, which is thought to be due to a variety of metabolic, physiologic and psychological changes. The quality improvement project described in this work was designed to help overweight persons with SCI lose bodyweight through nutrition, exercise, and behavioral management strategies.Methods: Eighteen persons with SCI who were overweight were enrolled in a 12-week interdisciplinary weight management program. Participants were limited to persons at least one-year post-acute SCI with an established overweight status. Measurements, including a person's weight, body mass index, and waist circumference (WaC), were taken at the program's start, at its end, and six months post program.Results: Seventeen out of 18 participants experienced weight loss, (WaC) decreased (P < 0.001), and the program was effective at reducing weight (P < 0.001). Six months following participation in the program participants did experience a significant change in weight or waist size six months post program, thus indicating that subjects did not regain weight after completion of the program.Conclusion: This quality improvement project provided indications of the benefits of an SCI-specific interdisciplinary weight management program. Clinical research evaluating methods for helping persons with SCI achieve a healthy bodyweight is indicated.
Keywords: Behavior modification; Exercise; Interdisciplinary; Nutrition; Obesity; SCI; Weight loss.