Introduction: The prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide. A combination of diet, physical activity (PA), and behavioural therapy is considered the basic treatment approach. The general practitioner (GP) setting offers a promising opportunity to provide comprehensive care, with behaviour change techniques (BCTs) serving as tools to facilitate its delivery. However, there are few firm recommendations on how BCTs facilitate behaviour change in GP settings and how these strategies can be effectively implemented. This study investigated the use of BCTs within the GP setting in terms of weight management through a scoping review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Methods: Following the Arksey and O’Malley framework, a systematic search was conducted in the MEDLINE (via Ovid), Epistemonikos and Cochrane databases. Two authors screened the identified articles published between 2013 and 2025. Key information was extracted, including baseline data, intervention details, effects on body weight/body mass index, cardiometabolic parameters, and lifestyle aspects. Results: A total of 7,264 articles were identified, with 12 studies included in the final review. In general, the use of BCTs in the GP setting is beneficial for managing weight, changing lifestyle, and improving cardiometabolic factors. However, there is considerable heterogeneity regarding the description of the behavioural therapy content, the number of counselling sessions, and the role of GPs. The effectiveness of BCTs varied depending on the objective (e.g. increasing PA or reducing body weight) and the type of intervention (e.g. delivered individually vs in a group). Conclusion: These findings suggest that BCTs used in GP setting can positively influence behavioural change, particularly with regard to weight and lifestyle management, despite the fact that they are not usually delivered by GPs themselves and the techniques used vary widely. Future studies should therefore focus on identifying the most effective BCTs and their implementation strategies, with the aim of maximising the contribution of primary care to the fight against obesity.
Philipp et al. (Thu,) studied this question.