Overweight and obesity management

The challenge

NICE's guideline on overweight and obesity management recommends that healthcare professionals seek to address weight stigma, use appropriate language and images when talking about weight and obesity, and focus on health and wellbeing rather than simply talking about weight. Keeping people engaged and ensuring adherence to interventions is paramount to success and to delivering a quality experience.

A lack of awareness of these principles, as well as a shortage of resources and capacity in overweight and obesity management services, may mean it is difficult for providers and healthcare professionals to implement these recommendations.

What support is available

NICE's discussion aid for healthcare professionals and patients supports discussions between healthcare professionals and people considering tirzepatide. It covers what the treatment involves, likely benefits, potential risks and alternatives.

NHS England's healthier weight competency framework includes relevant information such as how to avoid weight stigma and challenge biases, communicate effectively and measure a person's weight.

The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities' (OHID's) healthy weight coaching provides guidance on how to have sensitive conversations about weight and health with adults.

The British Dietetic Association (BDA) guidelines on eliminating weight stigma talks about language and addressing weight stigmas for people living with obesity. The world obesity image bank for combating weight bias in the media is a gallery containing free-to-use, accurate, sensitive and non-biased images.

In addition, OHID's national child measurement programme conversation framework provides guidance on talking to parents about their child's weight and treatment. NHS England's national child measurement programme also has resources that support conversations when discussing a child's weight.

NHS England's person-centred approaches and the Personalised Care Institute provide training to help healthcare professionals develop relevant skills in this area.

NICE's guideline on overweight and obesity management says that healthcare professionals should be aware that people can be affected by an eating disorder at any weight. If an eating disorder is suspected, refer to NICE's guideline on recognising and treating eating disorders and NICE's quality standard on eating disorders.

Clear referral processes from obesity services to eating disorder services, and training on eating disorders for staff working in obesity services is important to establish. NHS England's eating disorders training for health and care staff may be useful when working with people with obesity.