Shared medical appointments for weight loss: a systematic review

Area of Science:

• Obesity management
• Primary care interventions
• Health services research

Background:

• Obesity presents significant challenges in primary care settings.
• Shared medical appointments (SMAs) offer a potential solution to overcome barriers in managing obesity.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and assess the impact of weight loss interventions delivered through shared medical appointments (SMAs).

Main Methods:

• Conducted comprehensive literature searches across multiple databases (CENTRAL, Medline Complete, PsycINFO, Scopus, CINAHL, EMBASE, Web of Science) without date restrictions.
• Utilized keywords and Medical Subject Headings related to overweight, obesity, and SMAs.
• Assessed the risk of bias in included studies using the Effective Health Practice Project Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies.

Main Results:

• Fifteen studies on weight loss SMAs involving adults and children were identified; six included control groups.
• Pooled meta-analysis was not feasible due to inconsistent reporting of weight changes in controlled studies.
• Individual study results suggest SMAs can facilitate significant weight loss in adult patients, with higher uptake among women and older adults.
• Results for pediatric populations were less conclusive.
• Lower attrition rates were observed in studies with participants of higher socioeconomic status.
• All but one study were assessed as having weak quality, necessitating cautious interpretation.

Conclusions:

• Shared medical appointments (SMAs) may offer benefits for obesity management in primary care, particularly for women and older adults.
• Further rigorously designed prospective and controlled studies are needed.
• Future research should aim to determine if SMAs are superior to alternative weight loss strategies within primary care settings.