Patients with chronic kidney disease face a tough daily reality. Their bodies struggle to filter waste, and managing their health often feels like a constant battle. A new analysis looked at whether health coaching could help. This approach involves trained professionals guiding patients to make better choices about their daily lives, diet, and activity. The study looked at 738 patients who received this support. They found that those who got coaching lost weight. Their systolic blood pressure also dropped. These are important numbers for anyone trying to slow the progression of kidney disease. The coaching also improved how people felt about their physical health. Mental well-being scores went up too. However, the study did not find clear changes in other areas like overall quality of life or feelings of depression. The improvements in weight and blood pressure were statistically significant but small. They did not always reach levels that doctors consider clinically meaningful. The researchers noted that it remains uncertain if these results apply to all patients with kidney disease. Safety was not a major concern as no serious side effects were reported. While the findings are promising, they are not a magic cure. Incorporating health coaching into care plans is necessary and shows promise for these patients.
Systematic review and meta-analysis of health coaching interventions in chronic kidney disease patientsHealth coaching helps patients with kidney disease lose weight and lower blood pressure
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Key Takeaway
Consider health coaching for CKD patients, noting small effect sizes and uncertain clinical relevance.
This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the impact of health coaching interventions on patients with chronic kidney disease. The pooled analysis included 738 participants across multiple studies. The authors assessed a range of outcomes including body weight, blood pressure, and various quality of life domains.
The meta-analysis found statistically significant reductions in body weight with a mean difference of -1.5 (95% CI: -1.62, -1.38). Systolic blood pressure also showed a statistically significant reduction with a mean difference of -3.04 (95% CI: -3.54, -2.54). Physical and mental quality of life scores improved with standardized mean differences of 1.06 (95% CI: 0.29, 1.82) and 1.03 (95% CI: 0.11, 1.95), respectively.
However, no significant effects were observed for interdialytic weight gain, diastolic blood pressure, overall quality of life, depression, or self-efficacy. The authors note that observed effect sizes were small and did not consistently reach clinically meaningful thresholds. Furthermore, the relevance of these findings to CKD populations remains uncertain. Safety data and adverse events were not reported in the source material.
The authors conclude that incorporating health coaching interventions into comprehensive care for patients with CKD is both necessary and promising, despite the current limitations in effect magnitude and generalizability.
What this means for you:
Health coaching helped some kidney patients lose weight and lower blood pressure, but effects were small. More on Chronic Kidney Disease
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View Original Abstract ↓
PURPOSE: Health coaching interventions have been shown to be effective in some chronic diseases but remain unclear in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). This review aimed to assess the effectiveness of health coaching interventions in patients with CKD.
METHODS: A systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE, Scopus, APA PsycINFO, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global was conducted from inception to March 17, 2025. Review Manager 5.3 and Stata 15.1 software were used to perform the meta-analysis.
RESULTS: A total of 8 randomized controlled trials involving 738 patients were included. Health coaching interventions could statistically significantly reduce body weight (MD: - 1.5; 95% CI: - 1.62, - 1.38), systolic blood pressure (MD: - 3.04; 95% CI: - 3.54, - 2.54), and improve the physical (SMD: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.29, 1.82) and mental (SMD: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.11, 1.95) components of quality of life. But they had no effects on interdialytic weight gain (MD: - 0.02; 95% CI: - 0.32, 0.28), diastolic blood pressure (MD: - 1.79; 95% CI: - 4.19, 0.61), overall quality of life (SMD: 0.38; 95% CI: - 0.15, 0.91), depression (SMD: - 0.13; 95% CI: - 0.45, 0.19), and self-efficacy (SMD: 1.40; 95% CI: - 0.27, 3.07).
CONCLUSION: Health coaching interventions could reduce body weight and systolic blood pressure while improving physical and mental quality of life for patients with CKD. However, the observed effect sizes were small and did not consistently reach clinically meaningful thresholds, and their relevance to CKD populations remains uncertain. Nonetheless, incorporating these interventions into the comprehensive care of patients with CKD is both necessary and promising. Future high-quality studies are encouraged to explore further insights into health coaching interventions for patients with CKD.
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