WeightWatchers 2012 Annual Report Download - page 18

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motivated by both an increasing awareness of the health benefits of weight loss and the desire to improve their
appearance is fueling the growth in demand for weight management programs. We believe this growth and
awareness is also a result of an increasing willingness of employers and governments to promote and subsidize
the cost of weight management programs as part of their efforts to control healthcare costs.
Our Services and Products
Our Weight Management Plans
In each of our markets, we offer services and products that are built upon our weight management program
which is comprised of a range of nutritional, exercise and behavioral tools and approaches. Beginning towards
the end of fiscal 2012, we launched globally an updated weight management plan, known as Weight Watchers
360° in NACO, built upon PointsPlus, our weight management plan in NACO. PointsPlus,orProPoints as it is
known in certain of our other geographies, is an innovative weight loss system, developed from a combination of
the latest nutritional scientific research and insights of customers who experienced prior Weight Watchers plans.
With the PointsPlus system, each food has a PointsPlus value determined by a unique and proprietary formula
based on the food’s protein, carbohydrates, fat and dietary fiber content. The formula takes into account how
these nutrients are processed by the body as well as their impact on satiety. Subject to certain nutritional
guidelines, consumers following the PointsPlus system can eat any food as long as the PointsPlus value of their
total food consumption stays within their personalized PointsPlus “budget”. Since nutritious foods generally
have low PointsPlus values, this approach guides consumers toward healthier eating habits. The Weight
Watchers 360° plan takes the PointsPlus plan a step further, maintaining the benefits of the PointsPlus system
and adding education and tools for consumers to navigate environments in which they live day-to-day and
behavioral steps and strategies to develop routines to enhance long-term weight management success.
Our Clinical Efficacy
Our program is one of the most clinically-studied commercial weight management programs, with more
than 80 publications in the last 20 years. For example, in fiscal 2011, The Lancet medical journal published a
global, one-year study led by investigators from the Medical Research Council of the University of Cambridge in
the United Kingdom indicating that, after twelve months, overweight and obese adults referred by their doctors to
our program lost more than twice as much weight as compared to those who participated in a standard care
program led by a primary care provider. Also in fiscal 2011, the British Medical Journal released a study further
emphasizing the effectiveness of our weight management program. Similarly, during fiscal 2012, a clinical trial
funded by the National Institutes of Health in the United States found that individuals following Weight
Watchers lost more weight, on average, over a 48-week period than those following a program administered by
healthcare professionals preceding a period of time of following Weight Watchers.
Our Meetings
We present our program in a series of weekly meetings of approximately one hour in duration. Meetings are
conveniently scheduled throughout the day. Typically, we hold meetings in either meeting rooms in well-located
civic or other community centers or space leased in retail centers.
Our group support system remains the cornerstone of our meetings. Members provide each other support by
sharing their experiences with, and by providing encouragement and empathy to, other people experiencing
similar weight management challenges. This group support provides the reassurance that no one must overcome
their weight management challenge alone. Group support assists members in dealing with issues such as
emotional eating and finding time to exercise. We facilitate this support through interactive meetings that
encourage learning through group activities and discussions.
In our meetings, our leaders present our program in a manner that combines group support and education
with a structured approach to food, activity and lifestyle modification developed by credentialed weight
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