Design and dissemination of the MOVE! Weight-Management Program for Veterans.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Practitioners in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) identified comprehensive weight management as a high priority in early 2001. PROGRAM DESIGN: The MOVE! Weight-Management Program for Veterans was developed on the basis of published guidelines from the National Institutes of Health and other organizations. Testing of program feasibility occurred at 17 VHA sites, and the program was refined during early implementation throughout 2005. DISSEMINATION MOVE! was disseminated nationally in January 2006. Local program coordinators and physician champions were named, and toolkits, online training, marketing materials, and ongoing field support were provided. EVALUATION MOVE! has been implemented at nearly all VHA medical centers. By June 2008, more than 100,000 patients had participated in MOVE! during more than 500,000 visits. An evaluation based on an established framework is under way. CONCLUSION: MOVE! is an example of the large-scale translation of research into practice. It has the potential to reduce the burden of disease from obesity and related conditions.