title: A community pharmacy weight management programme: an evaluation of effectiveness.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Community pharmacies may offer an accessible way of delivering weight-management programmes but there have been few trials that use clinically significant weight loss outcomes, objective measures of weight and follow-up to 12 months. We aimed to evaluate weight change among patients who used the Counterweight weight management programme delivered by community pharmacies.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Counterweight Programme was introduced into community pharmacies in Fife, Scotland in 2009 for patients with a BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2) or a BMI ≥ 2830 kg/m(2) with a co-morbidity in localities in which Counterweight was not available at GP practices. The aim was to achieve an energy deficit of 500-600 kcal per day. Counterweight specialist dietitians delivered training, support and patient information materials to community pharmacies. Patient weight was measured by pharmacy staff at each weight management session. Weight data recorded at each weight management session were used to estimate weight change and attendance at 3, 6 and 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between March 2009 and July 2012, 458 patients were enrolled by the community pharmacies. Three-quarters of patients were women, mean age was 54 (SD 7.4) years and mean BMI 36.1 (SD 5.9) kg/m(2). Of 314 patients enrolled for at least 12 months, 32 (10.2% on an intention to treat basis) had achieved the target weight loss of ≥5%; this was 41.6% of those who attended at 12 months representing a mean weight loss of 4.1 kg. Using Last Observation Carried Forward, 15.9% achieved the target weight loss within 12 months of enrolling. There was no significant effect of sex, baseline BMI or age on weight loss.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Counterweight pharmacy programme has a similar effectiveness to other primary care based weight management programmes and should be considered as part of a range of services available to a community to manage overweight and obesity.
authors.affiliation: West of Scotland Cancer Surveillance Unit, Public Health Research Group, Institute of Health and Wellbeing, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8RZ, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morrison
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: McLoone
authors.forename: Naomi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Brosnahan
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: McCombie
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: Janie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gordon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012606:Scotland; D013997:Time Factors; D061217:Weight Reduction Programs
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