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Research Highlights
Even small amounts of weight loss may lead to meaningful improvements in physical and mental health.
Despite moderate weight loss being heralded as the threshold to see health improvements, our research suggests that the health benefits of low-level weight loss should not be overlooked.
Physical activity screening tools may help identify inactive people, but what happens next?
The General Practice Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPPAQ) is widely used within NHS services to screen physical activity in patients. Although it helps identify inactive people, our research found that follow-up is minimal, and it may not meaningfully contribute to improving physical activity levels.
Early prevention matters: the role of preschool interventions in childhood obesity prevention
Universal early childhood interventions show modest effects on weight outcomes, but at scale, they could play an important role in obesity prevention.
Children’s views suggest obesity policies may have limited benefits and raise concerns about stigma and marketing pressures
Public health obesity policies have increased in recent years as governments attempt to curb rising obesity rates. However, focus group discussions with children in England suggest they may view these policies as more harmful than helpful.
Evidence suggests non-fiscal food policies may help drive healthier food reformulation
Reformulating food and drink products to contain less sugar, salt, and fat is one potential strategy to improve diet quality. This review suggests that non-fiscal policies may be critical in driving healthier food and drink reformulation.
Can weight loss improve employment prospects? Evidence suggests a link, but not clear answers
Having a higher BMI is linked with unemployment, sick leave, and lower productivity, but does having a higher BMI cause these outcomes? Evidence is mixed and limited.
Even small amounts of weight loss may lead to meaningful improvements in physical and mental health
Moderate weight loss (losing between 5-10% of body weight) has been recommended by health officials for individuals with excess weight. This percent of weight loss has been considered the benchmark for acheiving additional health outcomes. However, our research has found that even losing a small amount of weight - less than 5% of body weight - may still improve health in more ways than expected.
Read the full paper here.
Published 1 November 2024
Early prevention matters: the role of preschool interventions in childhood obesity prevention
Early childhood is a critical period during which life-long behaviours and habits are established. Early childhood, therefore, presents an important opportunity for healthy weight interventions. Our researchers found that while reductions in the number of children living with overweight/obesity from early years interventions may be modest, at scale, universal interventions may still have important benefits for children's long-term health.
Read our full research findings here.
Published 9 April 2026
Can weight loss improve employment prospects? Evidence suggests a link, but not clear answers
Having a higher BMI is linked with unemployment, sick leave, and lower productivity, but does having a higher BMI cause these outcomes? Evidence is mixed and limited.
Read the full report here.
Published 2024.
Physical activity screening tools help identify inactive people, but what happens next?
Many general practioners in the United Kingdom use a tool known as the General Practioner Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPPAQ) to measure activity levels in primary care settings. Although GPPAQ is widely used in practice, our research has found that accuracy may be limited, and follow-up intervention is usually minimal.
Read our full research findings here.
Published 1 April 2026
Evidence suggests non-fiscal food policies may help drive healthier food reformulation
Improving diet quality is a major public health priority. Reformulating food and drink products to contain less sugar, salt, and fat is one potential strategy. This review suggests that non-fiscal policies may be a critical strategy in driving healthier food and drink reformulation.
Read the full paper here.
Published 14 October 2024
Public health obesity policies have increased in recent years as governments attempt to curb rising obesity rates. However, focus group discussions with children in England suggest they may view these policies as may harmful than helpful.
Read the full paper here.
Published December 2025
The NIHR Policy Research Unit in Healthy Weight is part of the NIHR and hosted by UCL.