Ongoing support of family practices is required through funding and policy changes and additional avenues for referral and adjunctive interventions are required to provide comprehensive weight management within this setting. Behaviour change can be achieved through timely and considered interactions that target individual preferences, are tailored to health literacy, and are consistent and positive in their messaging. Providing positive weight management in family practice requires ongoing commitment and an open and trusting therapeutic relationship between providers and patients. It needs to be facilitated by positive open communication and programs tailored to patient needs, preferences, and health literacy to be successful. The three themes infer that weight management in family practice with patients who are overweight or obese is challenged by the complexity of the task and the perceived motivation of patients. Our study identified three key themes: long-term trusting and supportive relationships (being ‘in it for the long haul’) initiating conversations and understanding motivations and ensuring access to multi-modal weight management options that acknowledge differing levels of health literacy. We analysed the interview data using thematic analysis. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim, and coding and management conducted using NVivo 12 Pro. The patient interviews sought specific feedback about each aspect of the intervention and the provider interviews sought to elicit their understanding and opinions of the strategies underpinning the intervention as well as general perceptions about providing weight management to their patients. MethodsĪ nested qualitative study design including semi-structured interviews with family practitioners ( n = 8), family practice nurses ( n = 4), and patients ( n = 25) attending family practices in New South Wales ( n = 2) and South Australia ( n = 2). The purpose of this study was to investigate patients, family practitioners and family practice nurses’ perceptions and views regarding the receipt or delivery of weight management within the context of the HeLP-GP intervention.

Australia has one of the highest rates of overweight and obesity in the developed world, and this increasing prevalence and associated chronic disease morbidity reinforces the importance of understanding the attitudes, views, and experiences of patients and health providers towards weight management interventions and programs.

Coding in nvivo 12