Call for Abstracts for Weight Management JGIM Supplement

Please note: This call is open to Weight Management SOTA participants and their co-authors as well as to others who were invited to the SOTA but were unable to attend.

Deadline: April 11, 2016

Topic: Treatment and Management of Obesity: Weight Management in VA

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Health Services Research and Development Service is supporting a Special Supplement to JGIM on the topic of obesity including findings from a “State of the Art” (SOTA) Conference on Weight Management, and evidence on what works and how to evaluate weight management interventions.

Brief Description of topic:

The United States is experiencing an obesity epidemic. Over 40% of Veterans seen at VA Medical Centers are obese and at least another 30 % are over-weight (pre-obesity). Many comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea and depression are exacerbated by obesity and contribute to high costs of health care in VA and in the US health care community. In short, obesity is a tremendous challenge for patients and health systems, and requires a cohesive approach that addresses behavioral, pharmaceutical & surgical treatments. VA, which operates the largest integrated healthcare system in the U.S., is uniquely suited to develop an integrated approach to weight management that provides a full spectrum of interventions in a seamless process to all eligible patients.

The goals of this Supplement are to: 1) present findings and a research agenda from the VA State of the Art Conference on Weight Management, 2) present empirical research on weight management interventions, specifically bariatric surgery, behavioral interventions, and pharmacotherapies designed to improve outcomes and incorporate patient preferences, 3) describe new methods and methodological challenges in studying weight management interventions, benefits and harms, or patient preferences, and, 4) present research on the implementation of weight management interventions that address human factors, incentives, facilitators, and barriers.

VA guest editors are:

Mathew Maciejewski, PhD

Research Career Scientist

Director, Heath Economics and Policy Unit

HSR&D Health Services Research in Primary Care (152)
Durham VA Medical Center
508 Fulton St, Durham, NC 27705
919-286-0411 x5198, 919-966-6711
,

Susan Raffa, PhD

National Director for Weight Management

National Center for Health Promotion & Disease Prevention

Office of Patient Care Services - Veterans Health Administration

3022 Croasdaile Drive, Suite 200, Durham, NC 27705
919-383-7874 x2280

Abstract:
A structured abstract must be submitted electronically by Monday, April 11, 2016. Blinded abstracts will be reviewed by Guest Editors and HSR&D leadership, and notices will be sent to authors by Tuesday, April 26, 2016.

Full Manuscripts:
Authors of selected abstracts will be asked to submit a full manuscript following JGIM's Instructions for Authors and online procedures by Monday, July 25 2016. All articles will undergo JGIM's editorial and peer review process. A maximum of 12 articles will be included in the supplement.

Key Dates:
Abstracts Due: April 11, 2016
Final Manuscripts Due: July 25, 2016

Three Types of Submissions Will Be Considered for Manuscripts

Original Research: No longer than 3,000 words describing original research including secondary data analyses, with frugal use of tables and figures and a structured abstract of no more than 300 words. Qualitative research articles may be as long as 4,000 words.
Perspectives: No longer than 2,000 words with an unstructured abstract of up to 200 words. Perspectives provide the authors' views and ideas on issues related to weight management or present considerations that have not been well-addressed in the current literature.
Reviews: No longer than 3,500 words, with a structured abstract of up to 300 words. These should be systematic reviews or meta-analyses of important topics related to weight management. Systematic reviews are expected to adhere to the PRISMA guidelines.