Abstract
Background
The COVID‐19 pandemic has had a significant adverse impact on the delivery of weight management programmes (WMPs), in order to ensure the safety of patients and healthcare professionals. Videoconferencing could provide safe remote access to group WMPs during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The objectives of this study were to determine the uptake of a virtual group WMP and its predictors.
Methods
All patients enrolled on a face‐to‐face group WMP, which constitutes part of a Tier 3 WMP delivered by the NHS, at the time of the COVID‐19 pandemic lockdown were invited to transfer to a virtual format of the group WMP. Baseline data included weight, BMI, age, gender, ethnicity and Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) quintile score. The outcomes were accept/decline transfer to the virtual group WMP. Logistic regression was performed to assess for predictors of uptake.
Results
The 315 participants were included, of which 72.1% (n = 227) accepted. After adjusting for gender, deprivation and BMI; older patients (OR 0.966, [95% CI 0.944, 0.989]; p = 0.003) and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity (BAME) patients (OR 0.460 [95% 0.248, 0.851]; p = 0.023) were less likely to accept the virtual group WMP.
Conclusion
Strategies aimed at improving uptake of group WMP among BAME and older adult groups are needed, particularly considering the increased risk of severe COVID‐19 in these two groups, and the links between obesity and poor COVID‐19 outcomes.
The COVID‐19 pandemic has had a significant adverse impact on the delivery of weight management programmes (WMPs), in order to ensure the safety of patients and healthcare professionals. Videoconferencing could provide safe remote access to group WMPs during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The objectives of this study were to determine the uptake of a virtual group WMP and its predictors.
Methods
All patients enrolled on a face‐to‐face group WMP, which constitutes part of a Tier 3 WMP delivered by the NHS, at the time of the COVID‐19 pandemic lockdown were invited to transfer to a virtual format of the group WMP. Baseline data included weight, BMI, age, gender, ethnicity and Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) quintile score. The outcomes were accept/decline transfer to the virtual group WMP. Logistic regression was performed to assess for predictors of uptake.
Results
The 315 participants were included, of which 72.1% (n = 227) accepted. After adjusting for gender, deprivation and BMI; older patients (OR 0.966, [95% CI 0.944, 0.989]; p = 0.003) and Black, Asian and Minority Ethnicity (BAME) patients (OR 0.460 [95% 0.248, 0.851]; p = 0.023) were less likely to accept the virtual group WMP.
Conclusion
Strategies aimed at improving uptake of group WMP among BAME and older adult groups are needed, particularly considering the increased risk of severe COVID‐19 in these two groups, and the links between obesity and poor COVID‐19 outcomes.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics |
| Early online date | 23 Dec 2020 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 23 Dec 2020 |
Bibliographical note
Not yet published as of 05/01/2021
Access to Document
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Abbott, S., Parretti, H.M., Hazlehurst, J. and Tahrani, A.A. (2020), Socio‐demographic predictors of uptake of a virtual group weight management program during the COVID‐19 pandemic. J Hum Nutr Diet. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12850, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12850. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions