Journal Article

Developing powerful PPIE partnerships in the design of an inclusive weight management service: a case study from the NewDAWN programme

Mitchell, Caroline, Joyce, Jack, Fryer, Kate, Newbert, Carolyn, Guess, Nicola, Jebb, Susan, Aveyard, Paul

2025

Overview

Weight loss programmes can help people achieve remission of type 2 diabetes (T2D). People from underserved communities are less likely to participate in—and may experience poorer outcomes from—weight loss programmes than people from healthier populations already better served by healthcare systems. Unless health services including weight management programmes are based on the needs of the people most in need of them, health inequalities may get worse. Here we describe how PPIE—with a specific focus on reaching the most underserved communities—has shaped a new weight management service for T2D remission and impacted the study design, stimulating new ideas to further engagement and enhance outcomes from remission programmes more broadly. We assess our approach against the UK Standards for Public Involvement in Research and the Diabetes UK Addressing Health Inequalities in Diabetes Through Research guidance, and reflect upon achievements and areas for further development. Plain English summary Clinical research aims to help develop new services for patients or improve existing ones. However, the issues that are researched tend to be those that researchers think are important, not necessarily those patients think are important. In addition, people most in need of healthcare are those who are less likely to take part in clinical research. For example, people from Black and South Asian communities are most at risk of having type 2 diabetes, but they are less likely to take part in type 2 diabetes trials. Involving communities in research can help solve these problems. It takes time to build trust, and a genuine dialogue. In this article we describe how patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE) has helped shape a new weight loss service for type 2 diabetes remission. We also highlight how listening in a genuine and open way can help produce new ideas for research which could lead to wider improvements in clinical care.

• Publisher: BioMed Central,BioMed Central Ltd,Springer Nature B.V,BMC
• Subject: Alliances and partnerships / Blindness / Case studies / Community / Diabetes / Ethnicity / Medicine / Medicine & Public Health / Methodology / Minority & ethnic groups / Planning / Service development / Type 2 diabetes / Weight control / Weight loss / Weight loss industry