The ADAPT Study was funded by the MRC-NIHR Methodology Research Programme [MR/R013357/1]. The project was undertaken with the support of The Centre for the Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions for Public Health Improvement (DECIPHer), a UKCRC Public Health Research Centre of Excellence. Joint funding (MR/KO232331/1) from the British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Economic and Social Research Council, Medical Research Council, the Welsh Government, and the Wellcome Trust, under the auspices of the UK Clinical Research Collaboration, is gratefully acknowledged.

The study was also supported by its successor, the Centre for Development, Evaluation, Complexity and Implementation in Public Health improvement, funded by Welsh Government through Health and Care Research Wales from 2020. Peter Craig and Mhairi Campbell received funding from the UK Medical Research Council (MC_UU_12017-13) and the Scottish Government Chief Scientist Office (SPHSU13).

The Delphi exercise was undertaken using the RAND Corporation’s ExpertLens system. We thank Dmitry Khodyakov for support with this element of the study.

We are also grateful to colleagues who attended our expert workshops to discuss and provide feedback on an earlier full draft of the guidance (or sent written feedback outside of these meetings). These include Prof Cam Escoffery, Prof Russell Glasgow, Prof Sarah Skeen, Prof Dianne Ward, Prof Lucy Yardley, Dr Andrew Cook, Prof Francois Alla, Prof Ricardo Araya-Baltra, Dr Jamie Lachman, Prof Jane Noyes, Dr Chris Roberts, Dr Jemma Hawkins, Prof Katrina Wyatt, Dr Matt Egan, Prof Rob Anderson, Prof Peymane Adab, Prof Janice Thompson and Dr Katie Buston.

We also thank anonymous members of our Delphi panel and qualitative interviewees.

We are grateful to Lindsey Allan for administrative support.