Adopting a psychological approach to obesity

In response to the growing challenge of obesity, South Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust and South West Essex Primary Care Trust established a joint initiative to provide a psychological service for adults who were obese and had not been able to manage their weight through traditional methods. This article describes a pilot project providing psychological support for adults with chronic or morbid obesity. It presents the rationale for this approach and describes the service and preliminary outcome data. The implications for nurses working in this field are considered.