A new study led by the University of Bristol and published today [28 Sep] in PLOS Medicine finds that of the over 1.8 million adults in England with a recorded diagnosis of being overweight or obese, only three percent are referred to publicly funded weight management programmes.
Being overweight or obese affects nearly two thirds of adult adults in England, which can have an impact on one’s social, mental, and physical well-being. National guidelines state that these people ought to have access to publicly funded weight-management programs, which include bariatric surgery for those whose health is seriously impacted by their weight.
In the new study, 1.81 million adults with overweight or obesity recorded in their primary care record between 2007 and 2020 were found using routinely collected health data. During the study period, only 3.13% of these adults had a referral for weight management documented. Bariatric surgery was also performed on just 1.09% of the 436,501 adults with severe and complex obesity.
These results showed significant regional variations: patients from the East of England were half as likely as those from the North West (RR 0.43, 95% CI 0.41-0.46, p<0.001), and patients from the West Midlands were more than twice as likely to have a referral for weight management as those from the North West (RR 2.17, 95% CI 2.10-2.24, p<0.001). Greater than three times as many patients from London as from the North West had bariatric surgery (RR 3.29, 95% CI 2.88-3.76, p<0.001). Bariatric surgery was most likely to be administered to patients who had been diagnosed with severe and complex obesity for the longest time or who had the highest number of comorbidities.
The lead author of the study, Dr. Karen Coulman, a Research Fellow at Bristol Medical School, stated: “This study suggests that England needs to improve access to weight management interventions.” Obesity rates are rising despite little change over the previous ten years.There are significant regional disparities in the availability of weight-management programs, including surgery; further study and funding are required.
Paper
An observational cohort study by K. Coulman et al. published in PLOS Medicine examines the availability of publicly funded weight management services in England using routine data from primary and secondary care (2007–2020). Note: An earlier media release derived from a conference abstract served as the basis for this one, which has been updated based on the peer-reviewed study.
