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Background The persistence of symptoms for ≥12 weeks after a COVID-19 infection is known as Long COVID (LC), a condition with unclear pathophysiology and no proven treatments to date. Living with obesity is a risk factor for LC and has symptoms which may overlap with and aggravate LC. Methods ReDIRECT is a remotely delivered trial assessing whether weight management can reduce LC symptoms. We recruited people with LC and BMI >27kg/m2. The intervention was delivered remotely by dietitians, with online data collection (medical and dietary history, COVID-19 infection and vaccination, body composition, LC history/symptoms, blood pressure, quality of life, sociodemographic data). Participants self-selected the dominant LC symptoms they most wanted to improve from the intervention. Results Participants (n=234) in England (64%) and Scotland (30%) were mainly women (85%) of white ethnicity (90%), with 13% living in the 20% most deprived areas, a mean age of 46 (SD10) years, and median BMI of 35kg/m2 (IQR 32-40). Before starting the study, 30% reported more than one COVID-19 infection (82% confirmed with one or more positive tests). LC Diagnosis was mainly by GPs (71%), other healthcare professionals (9%), or self-diagnosed (21%). The median total number of symptoms was 6 (IQR 4–8). Self-selected dominant LC symptoms included fatigue (54%), breathlessness (16%), pain (12%), anxiety/depression (1%) and "other" (17%). At baseline, 82% were taking medication, 57% reported 1+ other medical conditions. Quality of life was poor; 20% were on long-term sick leave or reduced working hours. Most (92%) reported having gained weight since contracting COVID-19 (median weight change +11.5 kg, range -11.5 to +45.3 kg). Conclusions Symptoms linked to LC and overweight are diverse and complex. Remote trial delivery enabled rapid recruitment across the UK yet certain groups (e.g. men and those from ethnic minority groups) were under-represented. Trial registration ISRCTN registry (ISRCTN12595520, 25/11/2021).

Background Bariatric surgery is a common procedure worldwide for the treatment of severe obesity and associated comorbid conditions but there is a lack of evidence as to medium-term safety and effectiveness outcomes in a United Kingdom setting. Objective To establish the clinical outcomes and adverse events of different bariatric surgical procedures, their impact on quality of life and the effect on comorbidities. Design Prospective observational cohort study. Setting National Health Service secondary care and private practice in Scotland, United Kingdom. Participants Adults (age >16 years) undergoing their first bariatric surgery procedure. Main outcome measures Change in weight, hospital length of stay, readmission and reoperation rate, mortality, diabetes outcomes (HbA1c, medications), quality of life, anxiety, depression. Data sources Patient-reported outcome measures, hospital records, national electronic health records (Scottish Morbidity Record 01, Scottish Care Information Diabetes, National Records Scotland, Prescription Information System). Results Between December 2013 and February 2017, 548 eligible patients were approached and 445 participants were enrolled in the study. Of those, 335 had bariatric surgery and 1 withdrew from the study. Mean age was 46.0 (9.2) years, 74.7% were female and the median body mass index was 46.4 (42.4; 52.0) kg/m2. Weight was available for 128 participants at 3 years: mean change was −19.0% (±14.1) from the operation and −24.2% (±12.8) from the start of the preoperative weight-management programme. One hundred and thirty-nine (41.4%) participants were readmitted to hospital in the same or subsequent 35 months post surgery, 18 (5.4% of the operated cohort) had a reoperation or procedure considered to be related to bariatric surgery gastrointestinal complications or revisions. Fewer than five participants (

Objectives There is a lack of evidence to inform the delivery and follow-up of bariatric surgery for people with severe obesity. The SurgiCal Obesity Treatment Study (SCOTS) is a national longitudinal cohort of people undergoing bariatric surgery. Here, we describe characteristics of the recruited SCOTS cohort, and the relationship between health and socioeconomic status with body mass index (BMI) and age.Participants/Methods 445 participants scheduled for bariatric surgery at any of 14 centres in Scotland, UK, were recruited between 2013 and 2016 for this longitudinal cohort study (1 withdrawal); 249 completed health-related preoperative patient-reported outcome measures. Regression models were used to estimate the effect of a 10-unit increase in age or BMI, adjusting for sex, smoking and socioeconomic status.Results Mean age was 46 years and median BMI was 47 kg/m2. For each 10 kg/m2 higher BMI, there was a change of −5.2 (95% CI −6.9 to –3.5; p

IntroductionIn the UK and Ireland, severe and complex obesity is managed in specialist weight management services (SWMS), which provide multicomponent lifestyle interventions to support weight loss, and use of medication if available. Liraglutide 3 mg (LIRA 3 mg) is an effective weight-loss medication, but weight loss in individual patients is variable, and its efficacy has not been assessed in SWMS. This study aims to investigate whether a targeted prescribing pathway for LIRA 3 mg with multiple prespecified stopping rules could help people with severe obesity and established complications achieve ≥15% weight loss in order to determine whether this could be considered a clinically effective and cost-effective strategy for managing severe and complex obesity in SWMS.Methods and analysisIn this 2-year, multicentre, open-label, real-world randomised controlled trial, 384 adults with severe and complex obesity (defined as body mass index ≥35 kg/m2 plus either prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, hypertension or sleep apnoea) will be randomised via a 2:1 ratio to receive either standard SWMS care (n=128) or standard SWMS care plus a targeted prescribing pathway for LIRA 3 mg with prespecified stopping rules at 16, 32 and 52 weeks (n=256).The primary outcome is to compare the proportion of participants achieving a weight loss of ≥15% at 52 weeks with a targeted prescribing pathway versus standard care. Secondary outcomes include a comparison of (1) the weight loss maintenance at 104 weeks and (2) the budget impact and cost effectiveness between the two groups in a real-world setting.Ethics and disseminationThe Health Research Authority and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority in UK, the Health Products Regulatory Authority in Ireland, the North West Deanery Research Ethics Committee (UK) and the St Vincent’s University Hospital European Research Ethics Committee (Ireland) have approved the study. The findings of the study will be published in peer-reviewed journals.Trial registration numberClinicalTrials.gov—Identifier: NCT03036800.European Clinical Trials Database—Identifier: EudraCT Number 2017-002998-20.

Scotland has a poor diet-related health record and part of the drive to improve Scottish diet has focused attention on increasing fruit and vegetable consumption. Despite various attempts, consumption remains well below World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations. Consumer confusion and complacency towards diet are apparent and the relationship between knowledge about good diet and behaviour is unclear. Highlights the need to consider how consumers make choices. Diet and health are not regarded as a problem for the majority of Scots but the major barriers to increasing consumption of fruit and vegetables reflect the additional costs incurred and the somewhat limited role for these products in Scottish cuisine. Indicates that price incentives and emphasis on the healthy benefits of eating more fruit and vegetables appear to be the most likely to succeed in increasing consumption; but there appear to be more opportunities to increase fruit as opposed to vegetable consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]