Obesity has become a major public health issue. Medical nutrition weight-loss clinics align with the national health policy orientation, yet they face challenges such as mismatches between service supply and demand. Exploring optimization pathways for medical nutrition weight-loss clinics from the perspective of the Three-Circle Theory is of great practical significance for their sustainable and positive development.

Based on the Three-Circle Theory (value circle, capability circle, and support circle), this study analyzed the service status and existing problems of the medical nutrition weight-loss clinic at the People's Hospital of Leshan, with the aim of proposing optimization strategies to improve service quality and long-term weight-loss outcomes.

A total of 342 patients who visited the medical nutrition weight-loss clinic at the People's Hospital of Leshan from August 2024 to April 2025 were enrolled. During the observation period, all patients received a high-protein diet, exercise intervention, and behavioral intervention. The revisit rate and dropout rate at 1, 3, and 6 months after intervention were analyzed. A mixed-effects linear model was used to examine changes in body composition indicators over time (at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months after intervention). Patient satisfaction was assessed through a questionnaire survey (n=251), and the results were interpreted within the framework of the Three-Circle Theory.

The 342 patients were aged 18 to 62 years, with a mean age of (35.4±8.7) years. There were 59 men (17.25%) and 283 women (82.75%). Among them, 285 patients (83.33%) had a BMI ≥24 kg/m², and 156 patients (45.61%) had a BMI ≥28 kg/m². As the intervention period lengthened, the revisit rate decreased and the dropout rate increased (χ² _trend=65.93, P<0.01). Mixed-effects linear model analysis showed that BMI, muscle mass, body fat, body fat percentage, visceral fat area, and basal metabolic rate differed significantly among baseline and the 1-, 3-, and 6-month post-intervention assessments (P<0.05). Except for muscle mass, which showed no statistically singnificant differences between 1 and 3 months, and 3 and 6 months, and basal metabolic rate, which showed no statistically significant difference between the 3-month and 6-month follow-up visits after intervention (P>0.05), pairwise comparisons among all time points for body composition indicators at baseline and at 1, 3, and 6 months after intervention showed statistically significant differences (P<0.05). In the satisfaction survey, the top three items in the value circle were, in descending order: willingness to recommend the clinic to others (4.77±0.46), overall satisfaction with the clinic (4.63±0.53), and satisfaction with the weight-loss effect (4.46±0.71). The top three items in the capability circle were daily follow-up ability (4.89±0.34), feasibility of the weight-loss plan (4.87±0.40), and individualization (4.86±0.38). The top three items in the support circle were service attitude (4.89±0.37), appropriateness of examination time (4.82±0.46), and clinical environment (4.78±0.53).

Through targeted interventions, the medical nutrition weight-loss clinic achieved favorable weight-loss outcomes, and patient satisfaction was high, with notable effects in the capability circle, value circle, and support circle. Based on the Three-Circle Theory, sustainable development strategies such as building a positive vision-oriented culture, promoting iterative optimization of professional capabilities, and creating a high-quality and efficient support environment can continuously improve the service quality and effectiveness of medical nutrition weight-loss clinics.