The implementation of the Counterweight Programme in Scotland, UK.

Counterweight Project Team

Abstract

Background: The Counterweight Programme is a proven model for the management of obesity in the UK, evaluated over 5 years (2000-05) and demonstrating clinical and cost effectiveness. The Scottish Government commissioned three phases of Counterweight implementation during the period 2006-08. The first two phases linked the Counterweight Programme to a primary care cardiovascular disease prevention programme; the third phase was commissioned independent of other interventions. Aim: To assess the implementation of the Counterweight Programme in 13 Health Boards in Scotland and compare 12-month outcomes with published Counterweight data. Methods: Patients with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 30 kg/m 2 or BMI ≥ 28 kg/m 2 with at least one co-morbidity were screened for the Counterweight Programme. Patients were asked to attend nine structured appointments with a trained Counterweight Programme practitioner over 12 months. Results: Six thousand seven hundred and fifteen patients from 184 general practices, 16 pharmacies and one centralized community-based service in 13 Health Boards, with a mean BMI of 37 kg/m 2 were enrolled in the Counterweight Programme. Twenty-six per cent had a BMI ≥ 40 kg/m 2. Attendance for patients at 3, 6 and 12 months follow-up was 55%, 37% and 28%. Of those who attended at 12 months, 35.2% had maintained a weight loss of ≥5% compared to 30.7% in the original evaluation. Conclusions: Evaluation of the Counterweight Programme in Scotland demonstrated consistency in characteristics of patients enrolled into the programme. There was evidence of higher loss to follow-up in a population not routinely engaging with primary care but evidence of greater weight losses among those who attended.

Citation

COUNTERWEIGHT PROJECT TEAM, 2012. The implementation of the Counterweight Programme in Scotland, UK. Family practice, 29(Supplement 1), pages i139-i144. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmr074

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 10, 2011
• Online Publication Date: Mar 7, 2012
• Publication Date: Apr 1, 2012
• Deposit Date: Apr 12, 2013
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 12, 2013
• Journal: Family practice
• Print ISSN: 0263-2136
• Electronic ISSN: 1460-2229
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 29
• Issue: Supplement 1
• Pages: i139-i144
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/fampra/cmr074
• Keywords: Attendance; Obesity; Primary care; Weight management; Translational research
• Public URL: http://hdl.handle.net/10059/810