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Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Background: Primary care is the first port of call for advice about weight control. There is hence a need for simple,
effective interventions that can be delivered without specialist skills. We have developed such an intervention; the
10 Top Tips (10TT). This intervention was effective with respect to weight loss in a volunteer population, but has yet
to be tested in primary care. The aim of this trial is therefore to test the effectiveness of the 10TT intervention in
primary care, incorporating clinical outcomes and health economic analyses.
Methods/Design: The trial is a two-arm, individually-randomised, controlled trial in obese (BMI ≥ 30) adults
(n = 520) in primary care, comparing weight loss in patients receiving the 10TT intervention with weight loss in a
control group of patients receiving usual care. The intervention is based on habit formation theory, using written
materials to take people through a set of simple weight control behaviours with strategies to make them habitual;
an approach that could make it more successful than others in establishing long-term behaviour change. Patients
will be recruited from 14 General Practices across England. Randomisation will be through telephoning a central
randomisation service using a computer-generated list of random numbers. Patients are followed up at 3, 6, 12, 18
and 24 months. The primary outcome is weight loss at 3 months, with assessment by a health professional who is
blind to group allocation. Other follow-ups will be un-blinded. We will examine whether weight loss is maintained
up to 24 months. We will also assess changes in the automaticity of the 10TT target behaviours and improvement
in clinical markers for potential co-morbidities. Finally, we will undertake a full economic evaluation to establish
cost-effectiveness in the NHS context.
Discussion: If proven to be effective when delivered through primary care, 10TT could make a highly cost-effective
contribution to improvements in population health.
Description
Trial Registration: ISRCTN16347068
Keywords
Obesity Primary care Weight control Habits
Citation
BMC Public Health, 12, 667
Publisher
BioMed Central