ArticleBMJ open2017
Patient and practice characteristics predicting attendance and completion at a specialist weight management service in the UK: a cross-sectional study.
Article in BMJ open, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 18 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
18 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Effectiveness of eHealth weight management interventions in overweight and obese adults from low socioeconomic groups: a systematic review.Systematic reviews · 2023Pooled it
- The impact of participant mental health on attendance and engagement in a trial of behavioural weight management programmes: secondary analysis of the WRAP randomised controlled trial.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2021Trial
- Trial
- Impact of and Comparative Outcomes for Digital and In-Person Interventions for Complex Obesity in a Diverse Urban Population.Endocrinology, diabetes & metabolism · 2026Article
- Prevalence of overweight and obesity in adults from the Middle East: A large-scale population-based study.Diabetes, obesity & metabolism · 2025Article
- The Association between a Recorded Diagnosis of Obesity and Clinically Significant Weight Loss in the Primary Care Setting: A Nationwide Registry.Obesity facts · 2025Observational
- Implementation of Clinical Services for Adults with Obesity in Different Health Systems: A Scoping Review and Causal Loop Diagram.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2025Review
- Attendance, Weight Loss, and Participation in a Behavioural Diabetes Prevention Programme.International journal of behavioral medicine · 2023Article
- A Qualitative Exploration of Patient and Staff Experiences of the Receipt and Delivery of Specialist Weight Management Services in the UK.The patient · 2023Article
- Can We Deliver Person-Centred Obesity Care Across the Globe?Current obesity reports · 2022Review
- Encouraging appropriate gestational weight gain in high-risk gravida: A randomized controlled trial.Obesity science & practice · 2022Article
- Factors Impacting Physician Referral To and Patient Attendance at Weight Management Programs Within a Large Integrated Health System.Journal of general internal medicine · 2021Article
- Weight assessment and the provision of weight management advice in primary care: a cross-sectional survey of self-reported practice among general practitioners and practice nurses in the United Kingdom.BMC family practice · 2020Article
- What works and why in the identification and referral of adults with comorbid obesity in primary care: A realist review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2020Review
- Predictors for continued participation of employees in structured outpatient obesity intervention programmes.Preventive medicine reports · 2020Article
- A predictive model for non-completion of an intensive specialist obesity service in a public hospital: a case-control study.BMC health services research · 2019Observational
- Why do general practitioners not refer patients to behaviour-change programmes after preventive health checks? A mixed-method study.BMC family practice · 2019Article
- Discussing Weight Management With Type 2 Diabetes Patients in Primary Care Using the Small Talk Big Difference Intervention: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR research protocols · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
objectiveTo determine the association between patient and referring practice characteristics and attendance and completion at a specialist health service weight management service (WMS).
designCross-sectional study.
settingRegional specialist WMS located in the West of Scotland.
participants9677 adults with obesity referred between 2012 and 2014; 3250 attending service and 2252 completing. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary outcome measure was attendance at the WMS; secondary outcome was completion, defined as attending four or more sessions. ANALYSIS: Multilevel binary logistic regression models constructed to determine the association between patient and practice characteristics and attendance and completion.
resultsApproximately one-third of the 9677 obese adults referred attended at least one session (n=3250, 33.6%); only 2252 (23%) completed by attending four or more sessions. Practice referrals ranged from 1 to 257. Patient-level characteristics were strongest predictors of attendance; odds of attendance increased with age (OR 4.14, 95% CI 3.27 to 5.26 for adults aged 65+ compared with those aged 18-24), body mass index (BMI) category (OR 1.83, 95% CI 1.56 to 2.15 for BMI 45+ compared with BMI 30-35) and increasing affluence (OR 1.96, 95% CI 1.17 to 3.28). Practice-level characteristics most strongly associated with attendance were being a non-training practice, having a larger list size and not being located in the most deprived areas.
conclusionsThere was wide variation in referral rates across general practice, suggesting that there is still much to do to improve engagement with weight management by primary care practitioners. The high attrition rate from referral to attendance and from attendance to completion suggests ongoing barriers for patients, particularly those from the most socioeconomically deprived areas. Patient and practice-level characteristics can help us understand the observed variation in attendance at specialist WMS following general practitioner (GP) referral and the underlying explanations for these differences merit further investigation.
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