Adipositas Care & Health Therapy

In Germany, every second adult is overweight and almost one in four is obese - the trend is rising. Obesity is a chronic illness which significantly increases the risk of developing co-morbidities such as cardiovascular and joint diseases, cancer and diabetes. In addition to those functional and health limitations, many people are stigmatised which can lead to social exclusion and a reduced quality of life. Available conservative therapies do not always lead to sufficient, long-term weight loss. In those cases and if the disease is very pronounced, an obesity surgery (bariatric-metabolic surgery) can help. In order to ensure its success, patients require long-term after care following surgery. Currently, there are no necessary outpatient care standards and provisions. Inpatient obesity centres try to compensate for this with their own structures and limited resources, but are already reaching their limits.

The aim of the ACHT project is to ensure long-term therapeutic success after an operation. This is done through a digitally supported, structured, cross-sectoral and close-to-home aftercare program. Obesity case managers (obesity guides) coordinate the aftercare process and monitor the therapy goals. A digital case file links patients, case managers, resident doctors and obesity centers. Individual exercise goals, nutritional advice and psychological support are part of ACHT. ACHT is connected to quality assurance measures of a medical society.

Four groups are compared in the ACHT study. One group begins their 18 months ACHT aftercare program directly after the operation, another group 18 months after the operation. These two groups are compared to patients who receive standard care. Through these two intervention groups, we hope to examine the long-term effects of the program within the given time constraints of the study.

ACHT is funded for three and a half years by the Federal Joint Committee as part of the Innovation Fund with approx. 4.5 million euros.

Inclusion criteria

relevant for all groups:

• patients who have already approved to have their data entered into the National Registry of metabolic and bariatric diseases (StuDoQ, DGAV)
• Sufficient knowledge of the German language to use the app, to communicate with the obesity case manager (obesity guide) and to fill out the questionnaires
• signed consent form

group specific criteria:

Intervention group I ("early aftercare"):

• Insured with the Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse (AOK) Bayern
• Consent to participate in the selective contract
• The bariatric metabolic operation (sleeve gastrectomy, Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass) was carried out 3 weeks (+/- 10 days) before the entrance examination
• iOS or Android smartphone (operating system: iOS 11 or higher or Android 6 or higher) with internet access can be used for study
• Sufficient mobility to get to the aftercare practice regularly and to complete an exercise program

Intervention Group II ("medium-term and late after care") recruited from control group I:

• Insured with the Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse (AOK) Bayern
• Consent to participate in the selective contract
• The bariatric-metabolic operation (sleeve gastrectomy or Roux-en-Y-gastric bypass) was carried out 18 months (+/- 2 months) before time of recruitment

Control group I (compared to early intervention):

• Insured with the Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse (AOK) Bayern
• The bariatric metabolic operation was carried out 18 months (+/- 2 months) before time of recruitment
• Sufficient mobility (see intervention group, so that groups are comparable)

Control group II (compared to late intervention):

• The bariatric metabolic operation was carried out 36 months (+/- 2 months) before the recruitment date
• Sufficient mobility (see intervention group, so that groups are comparable)
• The health insurance is irrelevant in this group

Exclusion criteria

• State after a revision operation
• Planned two-stage surgical procedure