Evaluation of Public Health approaches of obesity prevention and management in England: lessons learned for Brunei
File(s)
Author(s)
Haji Mohamad Tuah, Anni
Type
Thesis
Abstract
Tackling obesity is a major public health challenge. Obesity strategy and policy in England
has been heavily criticised for being ineffective in tackling the problem of obesity. Although
many studies have evaluated interventions for obesity, there is no clear evidence about which
interventions are effective in the prevention and management of obesity in primary care and
community settings. The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of
current public health approaches for obesity prevention and management, in particular
focusing on behaviour change models as intervention and also policy actions implemented at
local level (primary care trusts) in England. It also intended to identify obesity strategies
relevant to Brunei as lessons learned from England. The methods used were systematic
review, policy analysis and validation. The main finding of this study had shown that the
‘Transtheoretical model stages of change’ used in combination with diet and physical activity
has limited impact on weight loss (about 2 kg or less) and there was no conclusive evidence
for sustainable weight loss beyond 12 months. In addition, there were significant variations
found in obesity strategies implemented by primary care trusts in north-west London based
on analysis using the Imperial College Obesity Strategy Assessment Framework. The key
lesson learned for Brunei from England’s experiences was the development and application
of Brunei-IC-OSAF that contributed to the formulation of ‘comprehensive obesity policy’ for
Brunei. The tool had identified strengths and weaknesses of the existing obesity strategies
implemented in the country. The outcomes of the study contributed to the existing evidence
about what works in tackling obesity in public health settings, informing better pathway
development and commissioning decisions.
has been heavily criticised for being ineffective in tackling the problem of obesity. Although
many studies have evaluated interventions for obesity, there is no clear evidence about which
interventions are effective in the prevention and management of obesity in primary care and
community settings. The main purpose of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of
current public health approaches for obesity prevention and management, in particular
focusing on behaviour change models as intervention and also policy actions implemented at
local level (primary care trusts) in England. It also intended to identify obesity strategies
relevant to Brunei as lessons learned from England. The methods used were systematic
review, policy analysis and validation. The main finding of this study had shown that the
‘Transtheoretical model stages of change’ used in combination with diet and physical activity
has limited impact on weight loss (about 2 kg or less) and there was no conclusive evidence
for sustainable weight loss beyond 12 months. In addition, there were significant variations
found in obesity strategies implemented by primary care trusts in north-west London based
on analysis using the Imperial College Obesity Strategy Assessment Framework. The key
lesson learned for Brunei from England’s experiences was the development and application
of Brunei-IC-OSAF that contributed to the formulation of ‘comprehensive obesity policy’ for
Brunei. The tool had identified strengths and weaknesses of the existing obesity strategies
implemented in the country. The outcomes of the study contributed to the existing evidence
about what works in tackling obesity in public health settings, informing better pathway
development and commissioning decisions.
Version
Open Access
Date Issued
2011-12
Date Awarded
2014-08
Copyright Statement
Attribution NoDerivatives 4.0 International Licence (CC BY-ND)
Advisor
Majeed, Azeem
Sponsor
Brunei
Publisher Department
School of Public Health
Publisher Institution
Imperial College London
Qualification Level
Doctoral
Qualification Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)