Engagement as intervention: early outcomes of a co-created neurobehavioral obesity care model in rural primary care

Obesity is increasingly recognised as a chronic, relapsing neurobehavioral disease requiring holistic management beyond conventional brief counselling. In Malaysia, where prevalence has reached 54.4%, rural communities face additional structural and psychosocial barriers that sustain metabolic risk. Community-embedded, co-created models may address behavioural drivers of obesity while enhancing engagement within primary care. This study evaluates the 3-month interim outcomes of FIT FelBers, a co-created obesity intervention integrated within rural primary care.