Metabolic syndrome and weight management programs in primary care: a comparison of three international healthcare systems

Lifestyle behaviours are contributing to the increasing incidence of chronic disease across all developed countries. Australia, Canada and the UK have had different approaches to the role of primary care in the prevention and management of lifestyle-related diseases. Both obesity and metabolic syndrome have been targeted by programs to reduce individual risk for chronic disease such as type 2 diabetes. Three interventions are described- for either obesity or metabolic syndrome - that have varying levels of involvement of GPs and other primary care professionals. The structure of a healthcare system for example, financing and physical locations of primary care clinicians, shapes the development of primary care interventions. The type of clinicians involved in interventions, whether they work alone or in teams, is influenced by the primary care setting and resource availability. Australian clinicians and policymakers should take into account the healthcare system where interventions arc developed when translating interventions to the Australian context.