How Group-Based Interventions Can Improve Services for People with Severe Obesity

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Rising demand for specialised “Tier 3” weight management services in England is exceeding capacity, leading many services to offer group-based care programmes. This review considers the organisation of current provision, exploring how group programmes may enhance services and how these could be scaled up for wider implementation. RECENT FINDINGS: Existing group-based programmes mainly focus on providing patients with information and education about their condition. Evidence suggests that groups themselves offer therapeutic benefits beyond this, by underpinning patients’ engagement with programme materials and contributing to wider health and well-being. To maximise these benefits, there is a need to attend to the group processes that emerge in treatment groups which, left unchecked, may limit or even adversely impact programme outcomes. SUMMARY: Group-based interventions may be of benefit to patients in Tier 3 specialist weight management services, although their format is complex and reliant on facilitators’ expertise.