Insights of Individuals Living with Obesity Completed an Adult Weight Management Programme in the UK
Insights of Individuals Living with Obesity Completed an Adult Weight Management Programme in the UK
Rupy Kaur Roberts, Dr AB Sirin-Ayva, Dr Sophie Edwards, Prof Paul Gately
Introduction
Participants living with obesity who engaged in a Tier 2 (T2) and Tier 3 (T3) Adult Weight Management (AWM) Programme are invited to take part in this service evaluation. T2 programme accepts clients with a BMI >30+ or > 27.5 with comorbidities with professional or self-referral, whereas T3 requires a BMI>35. Tier 3 AWM clients tend to have complex comorbidities and medical and/or physical issues. The AWM programme consists of psychoeducational and dietetic/nutritional educational sessions. All participants have 12-weekly sessions followed by 9- monthly maintenance sessions. All T2 participants also engage in a digital weight management programme alongside their intervention. T3 participants are provided with further in-depth content delivery due to complex physical, medical and mental health requirements. Programme delivery includes psychologically informed topics such as managing emotions, adopting healthy habits, and nutrition topics. Regular weight updates are required to inform the progress of weight loss, as well as psychological assessments are taken at certain intervals which to assess anxiety, low mood, and general well-being.
The evaluation aims to gather qualitative feedback from clients who have completed the programme on the curriculum content, length of the programme, and delivery style (face-to-face, online, session structure, activities, facilitation style, etc. ).
Methods
The clinical team completed six 1:1 and four focus groups in this qualitative evaluation. One client was involved with this evaluation via email due to personal issues. In total, 17 clients participated. Gender: 87.5% Female | Mean Age: 53.8 All of the participants had complex medical and physical issues, and a couple of clients had additional psychological issues.
Results
All data received through interviews and email were computerised for further analysis. Based on the transcripts’ content analysis, the following themes were found.
Group Setting: The participants find the group discussion and the support from their practitioner very helpful. Participants highlighted needing more frequent and in-depth/personalised feedback from their practitioners regarding their food intake and physical activity. Participants stated that they liked the group structure but wanted more games for more interaction.
Weight Loss Strategies: According to the participants, self-monitoring, calorie counting, the 3 Ds (to deal with emotional eating), monitoring weight on a regular basis, portion control, building relationships with peers, Smart goals, mindful eating, insights from the practitioner, and getting notifications from the practitioner are the most helpful strategies.
Group support: Is being non-judgmental, safe to share experiences, external support out of the sessions via closed WhatsApp and Facebook groups in between the clients, helps clients to facilitate changing their behaviours.
Post-Programme: Extra Support – The clients want the programme to last more than a year, with 121 support for those with extra complex issues.
Conclusion
The results highlight the importance of professional and group support in implementing a healthy lifestyle. One year support, which is the commissioning timeline for the weight management services across the UK, is not enough time for the clients. The clients highlight needing more specific support and personalised feedback to deal with their complex needs. Overall, they find the content and proposed techniques very useful during their weight management journey with MoreLife. These results are insightful to inform tenders and policymakers to shape public weight management services across the UK. Exploring digital ways of supporting clients with complex needs as a low-cost option should be considered by the commissioners.