Obesity Abstracts

Background: Prevalence of obesity among adults varies across English regions and is higher in more deprived areas. Slimming World is a commercial weight management organisation with around 14, 500 groups across England. Individuals attend through self-funded membership or through Slimming World on Referral where membership is commissioned by the NHS or local government. The aim was to understand weight outcomes for self-funded and referred members across deprivation deciles and regions of England.

Methods: Weight data in all members joining during 2016 was analysed (n=830,038). Residential address was used to assign individuals to a deprivation level (Index of Multiple Deprivation) and a region based on Public Health England Centre geographies. Last observation carried forward was used to account for missing data.

Results: Mean weight change at 12 weeks in the sample overall was −5.1±3.7%. In self-funded members this was −5.0±3.7% and in referral scheme members it was −5.6±3.8%. In referral scheme members (n=27,560), mean weight change was −5.1±3.7 and −5.9±3.7 in the lowest and highest deprivation deciles, respectively. There was no significant effect for region for these deciles. In self-funded members (n=802,478) mean weight change was −4.7±3.7% and −5.2±3.6% in the lowest and highest deprivation deciles, respectively. The effect of region was significant but small (η_p²<0.000) indicating little meaningful difference across regions.

Conclusions: These results indicate that Slimming World successfully engages with and supports individuals to reach clinically significant weight losses across England, independent of region and deprivation.

Keywords: Weight management, health inequalities

Disclosures: All work was funded by Slimming World which is a commercial weight management service.