The role of link workers in weight management for people with severe mental illness: a qualitative study.

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dc.creatorImran, Rija
dc.creatorKenny, Alexandra
dc.creatorWong, Geoffrey
dc.creatorLee, Charlotte
dc.date2025-08-09T14:31:47Z
dc.date2025-08-09
dc.date2025-03-15
dc.date2025-08-09T14:31:47Z
dc.date.accessioned2026-08-03T03:57:01Z
dc.descriptionAcknowledgements: The authors would like to thank the McPin Foundation, the Social Prescribing Network, and all participants who contributed to this research.
dc.descriptionFunder: NIHR School for Primary Care Research; doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100013374
dc.descriptionFunder: National Institute for Health and Care Research Applied Research Collaboration Oxford and Thames Valley; doi: https://doi.org/10.13039/501100023233
dc.descriptionBACKGROUND: People with severe mental illness (SMI) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, partly due to factors such as overweight and obesity. Weight management programmes can potentially reduce this risk, but people with SMI face barriers to access and engagement. AIM: To explore the acceptability of using link workers to address barriers to accessing and engaging with weight management programmes for people with SMI. DESIGN AND SETTING: A qualitative study conducted with people with SMI, link workers, and health promotion workers in primary care. The study was co-designed and co-delivered with a person with lived experience of SMI. METHOD: Five online focus groups and dyad interviews were run with 13 participants, including seven people with SMI and six health professionals (three link workers and three health promotion workers), between 25 July 2023 and 31 March 2024. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using a codebook thematic analysis in NVivo software. RESULTS: We constructed three analytical themes. (1) The view of link workers: all participants saw link workers as valuable in overcoming emotional and practical barriers to weight management. (2) Expectations of link worker support: support must be personalised, culturally responsive, and focused on building trust. (3) Challenges for link workers: barriers included limited mental health training, undefined roles, and capacity concerns. CONCLUSION: Link workers offer an acceptable, low-intense approach to improving access to weight management programmes for people with SMI. Strengthening coordination between link workers and weight management services in primary care, as well as defining their role and level of support, could improve outcomes for this underserved group.
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dc.identifier1471-2296
dc.identifiers12875-025-02929-4
dc.identifier2929
dc.identifierhttps://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/388112
dc.identifier2731-4553
dc.identifier.urihttps://repo.dare.co.zw/handle/123456789/183001
dc.languageen
dc.languageeng
dc.publisherSpringer Nature
dc.publisherhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-025-02929-4
dc.subjectLink workers
dc.subjectPrimary health care
dc.subjectQualitative research
dc.subjectSchizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders
dc.subjectWeight reduction programmes
dc.subjectHumans
dc.subjectMental Disorders
dc.subjectQualitative Research
dc.subjectFocus Groups
dc.subjectAdult
dc.subjectFemale
dc.subjectMale
dc.subjectWeight Reduction Programs
dc.subjectMiddle Aged
dc.subjectPrimary Health Care
dc.subjectObesity
dc.subjectOverweight
dc.subjectHealth Services Accessibility
dc.subjectHealth Promotion
dc.titleThe role of link workers in weight management for people with severe mental illness: a qualitative study.
dc.typeArticle

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