Evaluation of the Digital Support Tool Gro Health W8Buddy as Part of Tier 3 Weight Management Service: Observational...

The escalating prevalence of obesity worldwide increases the risk of chronic diseases and diminishes life expectancy, with a growing economic burden necessitating urgent intervention. The existing tiered approach to weight management, particularly specialist tier 3 services, falls short of meeting the population's needs. The emergence of digital health tools, while promising, remains underexplored in specialized National Health Service weight management services (WMSs).

This service evaluation study assessed the use, effectiveness, and clinical impact of the W8Buddy digital support tool as part of the National Health Service WMS.

W8Buddy, a personalized digital platform, provides a tailored weight management plan to empower individuals and was collaboratively developed with input from patients, the clinical team, and DDM Health. It launched at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire tier 3 WMS in 2022. All patients accessing University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire WMS were offered W8Buddy as part of standard care. Data were analyzed using independent samples t tests and Fisher exact tests for continuous and categorical outcomes, respectively. Multiple linear regression analysis explored associations between participant weight, engagement with W8Buddy, and time in the service.

Complete datasets for weights were available for 421 patients (220 W8Buddy group and 192 nonuser control group). W8Buddy users, predominantly female (n=185, 84.1%) and Caucasian, had a mean age of 43 years, while nonusers averaged 46 years (P=.02). Starting weights were comparable: 134 kg in the W8Buddy group and 130.2 kg in controls (P=.14); however, W8Buddy users had slightly higher starting BMI (49.6 vs 46.8 kg/m², P=.08). A total of 33.5% (n=392) of patients activated W8Buddy and engaged with it. There was significant weight loss among W8Buddy users, with a 0.74 kg monthly loss compared to standard care (β=-.74, 95% CI -1.28 to -0.21; P=.007). The longer an individual stayed in this study and used W8Buddy, the more weight was lost. W8Buddy users with type 2 diabetes mellitus experienced a significant hemoglobin A_1c reduction (59.8 to 51.2 mmol/mol, P=.02) compared to nonusers with type 2 diabetes. W8Buddy users also showed significant improvement across the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, and quality of life visual analog scale (P<.001) during follow-up.

Participants engaging with W8Buddy as part of a digitally enabled tier 3 WMS demonstrated significant improvements in clinical and psychological outcomes, with weight changes statistically significant compared to those not engaging with the digital tool. Reduction in hemoglobin A_1c was present in both groups; however, statistical significance was only reached among those engaging with W8Buddy. These findings suggest digital tools can augment traditional services and promote patient empowerment. Future studies must provide long-term data to understand if the benefits from the digital tool are sustained.