The Harrow Slimming Club: report on 1090 enrollments in 50 courses, 1977–1986

The Harrow Slimming Club is a non-profit making group run by Harrow Health Authority using Health Service premises, and with trained dietitians as counsellors. The administration structure, recruitment procedure and nutrition advice are described.
Data is presented on 1090 enrollments in 50 courses. The club members were typically women about 13 kg overweight, and 30–50 years old, although there was a wide range in both age and degree of obesity. Men (114) attended either mixed courses or men only courses.
During the first initial 10-week course the average attendance was 8.4 with a 5.4 kg weight loss for members who later attended another course or courses. Members who attended only one course lost 3.82 kg during 6.8 attendances. Men who attended men-only courses attended more frequently and lost more weight than men on mixed courses.
The results presented are similar to those obtained from the first 14 courses (Seddon et al ., 1981)