| Summary: | The effect of group medical visits (GMV) compared to individual medical visits (IMV), on weight and blood pressure in a large primary care practice serving a predominantly underserved population, was assessed. The records of 304 patients attending a weight-loss program were analyzed using mixed-effects regression models. Patients in GMV lost an average of 11.63 lbs, whereas patients in IMV lost an average of 3.99 lbs (<i>p</i> < 0.001). A total of 55% of patients lost ≥7% in GMV compared to 11% of patients in IMV (<i>p</i> ≤ 0.001). Individuals who lost >5% of their baseline weight had a higher reduction in overall blood pressure. For systolic and diastolic blood pressure, the differences between baseline and three months for GMV and IMV were −7.4 vs. 4.1 mm of Hg (<i>p</i> = 0.002) and −4.6 vs. 4.2 mm of Hg (<i>p</i> = 0.003), respectively. Results from this study demonstrate that GMV may be a potentially useful modality for addressing weight and blood pressure in an underserved population.
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