Healthy Minds, Healthy Bodies
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A qualitative study to understand how people with depression and similar mental health conditions access, engage with, and experience community-based weight management services (Phase 2)
IRAS ID
324709
Contact name
Amanda Owen-Smith
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 31 days
Research summary
We want to find out how people who experience depression, anxiety or other common mental illnesses access and use publicly-funded weight management services on offer at GP surgeries and other community settings. In this Phase II of the study, people will only be recruited from GP surgeries. We are especially interested in how people find out about these services, whether they are helpful, and how they can be improved.
Background
Around two thirds of UK adults are overweight, which can affect both physical and mental well-being. Most could be helped to lose weight by making lifestyle changes, although we know this is more successful in supported settings. It is not unusual for people to experience depression and overweight/obesity at the same time, and people have described how vicious cycles of weight re-gain and ongoing mental ill-health can create barriers to change. Although community-based weight management services are important in helping people maintain healthier lifestyles, it is unknown how people living with depression and other common mental health conditions experience accessing and using these services.
Research design
We will conduct research interviews with health professionals and people living with overweight/obesity and depression or similar mental health conditions. We will talk to people who have used community-based weight management services [WM Service Users] and people who are eligible, but have not [Participants]. We want to understand more about how and why people choose to use these services and how they are experienced in practice. We also intend to observe weight management sessions to understand more about how services can be improved. We will use well-tested methods to draw out the main points from people’s experiences and make recommendations for improving services. These ideas will be discussed in meetings with public representatives and other health professionals before we set out a final plan for service improvement.
REC name
North West - Greater Manchester East Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
23/NW/0179
Date of REC Opinion
14 Jul 2023
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion