Evaluation of the Care Pathway Offered by the "Chronic Disease Unit" to Obese Patients

Summary

Obesity is a chronic and progressive disease medically defined as an increase in body fat, with consequences for physical, psychological and social well-being. With an estimated prevalence of 17% in France, obesity and its management remain a major public health issue. Projections by the World Health Organisation (WHO) show that the prevalence of non-communicable diseases, including obesity, is set to rise again by 2030 in all European countries.

To support patients and prevent obesity development, the French National Authority for Health (HAS) advocates change in practices and places patient education at the heart of care. The management of chronic diseases such as obesity must be offered on a long-term basis, adapting to complications onset, and patients must become active players in their treatment and the proposed care pathway. However, our experience shows that patients have difficulty finding their way around a care pathway and identifying the medical or paramedical resources that could help them to set their health goals and initiate change.

That's why the Var region has developed the "Chronic Disease Unit", which offers coordinated, adapted and individualised care pathways for patients suffering from chronic illnesses, including obesity; therapeutic education and the psychosocial dimension are at the heart of the Chronic Disease Unit approach. Depending on their psychosocial skills, each patient will be encouraged to develop skills at their own pace, but also to become autonomous in managing their illness and taking part in the healthcare decisions about them. To be autonomous, a patient must not only know what to do, but also feel able to do it, i.e. develop a sense of self-efficacy. When they have the necessary skills and believe in their abilities, patients are more likely to adopt health-promoting behaviours. While obesity generally seems to be linked to a low self-efficacy, the self-efficacy appears to be involved in weight management quality, commitment to a programme and the weight loss extent that results.

The aim of EVAMMACH study is to evaluate if the Chronic Disease Unit care pathway could promote obese patients' sense of self-efficacy and meet their expectations.

Conditions

• Obesity

Interventions

BEHAVIORAL

Questionnaires and focus group

To evaluate the Chronic Disease Unit care pathway, patients will respond to questionnaires : quality of life (SF-12), personal efficacy scale (GSES), "Specific self Efficacy related to Weight Management" (SEWM), Rosenberg self-esteem, body image satisfaction (QIC), state of anxiety and depression (HAD), Chronic Disease Unit satisfaction. Some patients will also participate to focus group.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Maison de la Maladie Chronique

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Institut d'Etude de la Maladie Chronique

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Centre Hospitalier Intercommunal de Toulon La Seyne sur Mer

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Aurelie GAZAGNE, Dietician · MMC / IEMC

Study Design

Allocation

NA

Purpose

BASIC_SCIENCE

Masking

NONE

Model

SINGLE_GROUP

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2024-10-16

Primary Completion

2028-04-30

Completion

2028-04-30

Countries

• France

Study Locations