Supporting Weight Loss Management (SWiM 2.0) full trial
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Supporting Weight Management (SWiM): Evaluating the effectiveness, equity and cost effectiveness of using acceptance-based guided self-help to improve term outcomes of weight management interventions
IRAS ID
336794
Contact name
Amy Ahern
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Cambridge
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 6 months, 29 days
Research summary
Background:
Behavioural weight management programmes can help people lose weight and improve health outcomes, but this weight is often regained. We previously developed an intervention to support weight loss maintenance called SWiM (Supporting Weight Management). This trial aims to evaluate whether SWiM can prevent weight regain and improve long-term physical and mental health outcomes.Methods:
We will recruit 1840 adults with overweight or obesity who have completed a behavioural weight management programme or a behaviour change programme to prevent or treat type 2 diabetes. They will be randomly allocated to either the SWiM programme or standard care:i) SWiM is delivered via a website, with 14 modules delivered over 4 months. It also involves telephone calls with a trained, non-specialist health coach. Participants can use a paper-based version of SWiM if preferred.
ii) The standard care group will receive no additional structured support.
At baseline, 6 months, 12 months and 24 months, we will measure weight (using “cellular-scales” that send us the data automatically when participants step on the scales), average blood glucose (using at-home fingerpick tests) and other physical and mental health outcomes and health economics outcomes like health resource use (using self-report questionnaires). Our analyses will test whether SWiM is better than standard care at reducing weight regain, blood glucose, and health care costs, and improving other physical and mental health outcomes over two years. We will test whether SWiM works equally well in different groups. We will also interview a subset of participants and people involved in delivering SWiM to understand what worked, what didn’t, and why. We will then examine whether SWiM is good value for money.
Importance:
Our findings will help the government and the NHS decide whether SWiM offers value for money in improving the mental and physical health of people living with obesity.REC name
East Midlands - Derby Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/EM/0104
Date of REC Opinion
28 May 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion