How effective is proactive health coaching within a digital weight management service?
This study, published in Telemedicine Reports, sought to provide evidence on how different coaching approaches impact patient satisfaction.
The research revealed that patients who received more personalised and frequent lifestyle counselling were more likely to be satisfied with the support they received from their health coach, compared to patients who received standard counselling and advice (71% compared to 42%).
71% of patients in the proactive group found their health coach helpful, compared to just 42% in the reactive group
About the research
Study participants were randomly assigned (50:50) to one of two groups: one receiving proactive health coaching via Juniper’s digital weight loss platform and the other receiving reactive coaching.
Over the course of eight weeks, study participants were provided with GLP-1 RA medication, combined with health coaching tailored to their needs (either proactive or reactive).
Proactive coaching involved health coaches regularly reaching out to patients, at least every three days, with personalised advice based on their initial health data, as well as responses to a lifestyle questionnaire. Reactive coaching was limited to responding to patient inquiries, with their health plan based solely on their initial health data. The study then collected survey data to assess patient satisfaction with each coaching style.
Understanding the results
Juniper patients who received proactive coaching were less likely to express dissatisfaction with the frequency of communication from their health coach, with only 17% indicating they desired more frequent contact, compared to 33% of reactive coaching patients.
Although trust in health coaching recommendations was generally high in both groups, a higher percentage of proactive coaching patients (57%) were inclined to trust their coach’s product recommendations compared to those in the reactive group (48%).
- Only 6% of patients who received proactive coaching found their coach’s advice unhelpful (vs 9% of reactive group patients).
- Only 7% of study patients indicated that they would be unlikely to trust their coach’s health product recommendations.
- Less than 23% of patients felt that their lifestyle coach did not message them frequently enough.
Significance of the research
Despite the positive perception of proactive coaching, which was unsurprising, the study also highlighted areas for improvement. Many patients in both groups expressed a desire for more personalised coaching and increased accountability in their health management.
These findings are crucial for the ongoing development of DWLS programmes, particularly in ensuring that digital platforms can enable more proactive, personalised care at scale.
