Behavior change: a critical element of comprehensive metabolic care

In Found's recent peer-reviewed study, outcomes from 66,000 members were examined to identify the impact comprehensive metabolic care on obesity. In the study, researchers found that members who actively engaged beyond medication experienced greater weight loss.

Although the use of medications can be an important part of weight loss, this result demonstrates that building habits for long-term success—a core part of the Found program—can drive better results. Also, developing those behavior change strategies helps participants in the long term, not just while they're in the process of initial weight loss.

Not all weight management programs are the same–Found’s program has been uniquely designed by obesity medicine experts, psychologists, and behavioral scientists to promote sustainable health outcomes. This level of expertise is critical when fewer than 1% of PCPs are trained in obesity medicine, yet 79% of adults in the U.S. have received GLP-1 prescriptions through primary care providers.

What is the role of behavior change in driving sustainable health outcomes?

Obesity isn’t a condition that has a simple, quick fix—a variety of biological factors,  unique to each person, influence it. While medications, such as GLP-1s, have proven effective at weight loss, medication-only programs present several challenges, including:

• Risk of weight regain if medications are suddenly stopped or deprescribed without proper clinical guidance. Doing so can result in weight regain of up to two-thirds of lost weight, which can be frustrating for patients and lead to a return of coexisting conditions.
• Reliance on GLP-1s is associated with high costs for employers and employees, leading to limitations in accessing specialized care. According to the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions, this class of drugs could cost employers $35K annually per employee and family of dependents.

Found helps employers mitigate these challenges by delivering care that combines the most appropriate and clinically effective medication with behavior change, lifestyle interventions, and nutritional guidance to drive sustainable health outcomes and effectively manage GLP-1 utilization and spending.

Found’s proprietary behavior change program

Our Care Team has designed an education program called “Habits and Foundations.” There are currently 30+ Habits. Foundations, which we consider building blocks for lasting behavior change, represent a subset of 10+ Habits.

Habits reflect the lifestyle changes our Head of Medical Affairs, Rekha Kumar, MD, MS, encourages in her private practice for patients' lasting success. Foundations help members make meaningful changes that result in sustainable weight loss. These include eating, hydration, exercise, sleep, and stress management.

While the Foundations are the same for each member, our program suggests a specific set of Habits from each Foundation based on each person’s MetabolicPrint™. MetabolicPrint is a unique profile assigned to each member based on biological factors that capture medical history, past weight struggles, and more.

Members can also choose to skip the suggestions as they have access to other educational materials curated by a team of professional health journalists and reviewed by our clinical leadership team.

To further promote behavior change, members have 1:1 access to certified health coaches. Health coaches help members develop habits based on their unique biology, using MetabolicPrint to prioritize Habits content in the app.

Engagement that bolsters health outcomes

Through Found’s peer-reviewed study, data showed that members who engaged with our behavior change tools experienced greater weight loss.

The outcomes above demonstrate Found's ability to support employers in driving sustainable health outcomes, not just through medication, but through behavior change that helps employees build a foundation for long term success. Dive into more insights from our peer-reviewed study by exploring our infographic here.

About Found

Found is one of the largest telehealth weight care providers in the U.S., having conducted over 1M clinical consults. Our mission is to transform how obesity is treated and managed by making evidence-based, personalized metabolic care accessible to all. Designed by obesity medicine experts, our judgment-free program helps members regain control of their health by prioritizing sustainable health outcomes.