{"paper_id":"c517d8de-166f-484a-936f-20c90cefd003","body_text":"Mapping the Behavioural Weight Management Ecosystem in the East of England to Inform the Implementation of Electronic Signposting | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Mapping the Behavioural Weight Management Ecosystem in the East of England to Inform the Implementation of Electronic Signposting Natalie An Qi Tham, Zarnie Khadjesari, Fredrik Kjell Bodell, Helen M Parretti, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8562600/v2 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Abstract Obesity is a leading cause of ill health in England, posing significant health and economic burden. Behavioural weight management services (WMS) are central to reducing obesity-related health risk, yet their reach remains limited. Electronic signposting (eSignposting) offers a potential strategy to improve patient access to behavioural WMS by using health records and digital communication to connect patients with appropriate services. This qualitative case study characterised the behavioural WMS ecosystem across the East of England (Norfolk, Suffolk, and North-East Essex) through semi-structured interviews with n = 11 stakeholders involved in WMS provision, commissioning, and delivery. Directed content analysis informed the development of ecosystem maps and an inventory of available services in the region. Findings revealed a complex landscape spanning local authority, national, commercial, and voluntary sectors, with self-referral and primary care referral as predominant access routes. The study identified structural and digital barriers to obesity care and provided insights to inform the equitable implementation of eSignposting. obesity weight management ecosystem mapping Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare potential competing interests as follows: HMP is a British Obesity and Metabolic Surgery Society council member and an advisory panel member for the UK Coalition for People Living with Obesity. She has received honoraria for obesity related educational events and clinical pathway development consultancy from Johnson & Johnson, Novo Nordisk, Boston Scientific and Radcliffe Group. HMP was a member of the NICE obesity clinical guidelines NG246 committee and NICE obesity quality standards for obesity QS212 committee. All other authors declare no conflict of interest. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 2 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Show more versions Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. 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