Factors that influence general practitioners’ obesity-related clinical practices and determinants of behaviour to target to promote best practice in obesity care: a qualitative exploration

Objectives: To explore factors that influence general practitioners’ (GPs) current obesity- related clinical practices and to identify determinants of behaviour to target in future interventions.Method: In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with ten general practice physicians. The data were analysed by abductive thematic analysis underpinned by the theoretical domains framework (TDF). The findings were mapped to the behaviour change wheel (BCW) and the behaviour change taxonomy (BCT) to identify potential future intervention strategies to drive best practice in the provision of care for obesity.Findings: The findings emphasise the need for interventions to target multiple influences on current clinical practices (i.e. knowledge; skills; environmental context and resources). Conclusion: Together, the TDF and the BCW provide a comprehensive evaluation of the factors that are likely to influence GPs’ current obesity-related practices and theoretically inform the development of interventions to promote reform. Future interventions should focus on targeting key determinants of behaviours by leveraging intervention functions including education, training, environmental restructuring and enablement. To encourage the adoption and implementation of future interventions, it is essential that they are co-developed with general practitioners to ensure that they are suitable to support GPs’ in delivering quality care to patients with obesity.