Glossary

Term	Explanation
Adverse event (AE)	Any untoward medical occurrence in a person participating in a research trial who has been given a treatment, thought the occurrence is not necessarily caused by the treatment.
Body Mass Index (BMI)	A measure to help decide if adults are a healthy weight or underweight, overweight or obese. It is defined as weight in kilograms divided by the square of height in metres (kg/m²).
Glucagon like peptide 1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs)	A family of medication also known as GLP-1 analogues. These drugs increase hormones called 'incretins', which help the body make more insulin, reduce the amount of sugar the liver produces and slow digestion speed. They also reduce appetite. Examples include semaglutide (aka Wegovy, Ozempic), and tirzepatide (aka Mounjaro).
Living network meta-analysis (NMA)	A living network meta-analysis involves continually or regularly repeating the steps of a network meta-analysis (see below) to maintain an ‘up to date’ report of the most current evidence.
Network meta-analysis (NMA)	A network meta-analysis is a way of comparing the effectiveness of multiple different treatments at the same time, even if they haven’t been tested head-to-head in a trial. A network meta-analysis can give us more information and better estimates of the effects of each treatment than a single comparison, and it can also help us rank the treatments according to how effective or safe they are.
Overweight/Obesity	Overweight means having a BMI above the healthy range. For people of White heritage, a BMI: below 18.5 is underweight between 18.5 and 24.9 is healthy between 25 and 29.9 is overweight of 30 or over is obese. Black, Asian and some other minority ethnic groups have a higher risk of developing some long-term conditions such as type 2 diabetes with a lower BMI. People from these groups with a BMI of: 23 or more are at increased risk (overweight) 27.5 or more are at high risk (obese).
Placebo	An inactive substance or procedure given to a person participating in a research study, usually to compare its effects with those of a real drug or other treatment. Placebos are used in trials to make sure people in the trial don’t know whether they have been given the treatment being researched or not. Placebos should be indistinguishable to the patient from the active treatment.
PROGRESS-PLUS	A framework of criteria which identifies characteristics that may influence health opportunities and outcomes. ‘Progress’ refers to: place of residence; race/ethnicity/culture/language; occupation; gender/sex; religion; education; socioeconomic status; social capital. ‘Plus’ refers to: personal characteristics associated with discrimination (e.g. age, disability); features of relationships (e.g. smoking parents); time-dependent relationships (e.g. when leaving hospital or other instances where a person may be temporarily at a disadvantage). PROGRESS-Plus \| Cochrane Equity
Qualitative research	Qualitative methods of research are scientific methods which focus more on the meaning of different aspects of people’s lives, and on their accounts of how they understand their own and others’ behaviours and beliefs. They include interviews, observation and surveys. Qualitative research – UKRI
Randomised controlled trial (RCT), also written as ‘trial’	A type of experimental study where participants are randomly placed in different groups, for example a group receiving a treatment (i.e. GLP-1 RA) and a group receiving a control condition (i.e. placebo). This allows two or more groups of people to be compared in a way that reduces bias.
Scoping review	A scoping review is a process that systematically identifies and collates research available on a specific topic, to understand the amount and type of research that exists related to that topic.
Serious adverse event (SAE)	Any untoward medical occurrence during a trial that: results in death, is life-threatening, requires inpatient hospitalization or prolongation of existing hospitalization, required intervention to prevent permanent impairment or damage, results in persistent or significant disability/incapacity, or during pregnancy/prior to conception may result in adverse outcomes to the child
Type 2 Diabetes	Type 2 diabetes is a condition that happens because of a problem in the way the body regulates and uses sugar as a fuel. That sugar also is called glucose. This long-term condition results in too much sugar circulating in the blood. Eventually, high blood sugar levels can lead to disorders of the circulatory, nervous and immune systems. Type 2 diabetes - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic
Usual care	A group of participants in a research study, such as a randomised controlled trial, may be given the usual care instead of the drug or a placebo. This means they access the care that is normally given for the issue or health condition being researched in the study, so that the new drug or care being researched can be compared to the existing options for care.
Patient and public involvement and engagement (PPIE)	Involvement is a process of carrying out research with, or by, members of the public. It is an active partnership between researchers and those who the research affects (such as patients, potential patients, carers, and general healthcare service users). Meanwhile engagement is a process of sharing information and knowledge about research to the patients and the public. For example, awareness of research through television media or social media. Patient & public involvement & engagement