Members of DIG developed ‘POWeR’ (Positive Online Weight Reduction) to help obese primary care patients sustain weight loss. A randomised controlled trial (published in the Lancet: Diabetes and Endocrinology) showed that POWeR helped users lose enough weight to significantly reduce their risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and cost less than standard NHS care. An app version of POWeR was then developed in partnership with the company, ‘Changing Health’. NHS England has adopted the POWeR app as the weight management element of the National Diabetes Education Programme, which will be rolled out to 600,000 diabetic patients from 2020-2025.

‘Germ Defence’ was a website developed by DIG members to support behaviours to reduce the spread of infections at home. A randomised controlled trial in 20,000 people (published in the Lancet) showed that using Germ Defence reduced illness in users and their families. A revised version of Germ Defence was launched at the start of the pandemic and updated throughout the pandemic based on stakeholder and PPI input and emerging scientific evidence and guidance. Germ Defence was disseminated through national public health and primary care networks and national media and translated into 25+ international languages, resulting in over 600,000 users.

Balance Retraining was developed as a PhD project and trialled by members of DIG between 2013 and 2016. A randomised controlled trial (published in the Annals of Family Medicine) showed that using Balance Retraining helped reduced dizziness and dizziness-related disability amongst UK adults aged 50+. Balance Retraining was made publically available and the English language version has since been used by more than 9000 people. Balance Retraining has subsequently been translated into Dutch, with a further randomised controlled trial amongst primary care patients in the Netherlands further demonstrating its effectiveness for reducing dizziness (published in the BMJ).