Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 21, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Effectiveness of interventions in the prevention of childhood obesity
Inmaculada Bautista-Castaño1, Jorge Doreste, Lluis Serra-Majem
1Area de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Departamento de Ciencias Clínicas, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain.
Insights
Preventing childhood obesity is crucial due to rising prevalence. Key strategies include family-centered nutritional education, increased physical activity, and reduced sedentary behavior, showing promise for effective interventions.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Preventive Medicine
Background:
- Childhood obesity rates have significantly increased, posing a major public health challenge.
- Obesity is difficult to treat once established, highlighting the importance of prevention strategies.
- Interventions targeting the family, school, and community environments are essential for prevention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review interventions conducted over the past 11 years aimed at preventing childhood obesity.
- To analyze strategies, weight status definitions, evaluation methods, and effectiveness of interventions.
- To assess benefits beyond weight reduction, such as the promotion of healthy habits.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of 14 intervention studies focused on childhood obesity prevention.
- Analysis of intervention designs, durations, and outcome assessment criteria.
- Inclusion of studies evaluating both weight-related and other health benefits.
Main Results:
- Direct comparison of studies was challenging due to variations in design and assessment.
- Nutritional education, physical activity promotion, and behavioral modification appear key.
- Family collaboration and reduced sedentary time are significant factors in prevention.
Conclusions:
- Combined approaches involving education, physical activity, behavior change, and family involvement are most effective.
- Interventions often yield benefits beyond weight status, promoting overall healthy habits.
- Further well-designed studies are needed to evaluate a broader range of interventions.
Abstract:
The prevalence of childhood obesity, as with that of adulthood, has increased considerably over the past few years and has become a serious public health problem. Once established, its treatment is very difficult and, hence, prevention of childhood obesity using different types of intervention appears promising. The objective of this present report is to review interventions that had been conducted over the past 11 years in the environment of the family, schools and community, and directed towards the prevention of childhood obesity. We reviewed the different strategies employed, the different criteria used in defining weight status, the evaluation and follow-up methods, and the degree of effectiveness. Benefits other than reduced weight gain were assessed, as well. In our review, we selected 14 intervention studies. The differences in design, duration and outcome assessments make direct comparison difficult. Nevertheless, it seems that nutritional education and promotion of physical activity together with behaviour modifications, decrease in sedentary activities and the collaboration of the family could be the determining factors in the prevention of childhood obesity. Other important benefits regarding healthy habits apart from the changes in weight status were pursued in the majority of the studies reviewed. The need for well-designed studies that examine a range of interventions remains a priority.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Levels of Health Promotion and Illness Prevention
In primary prevention, actions taken before disease onset prevent the disease from...
01:30Preventive Healthcare Services
01:24Operant Conditioning Intervention
In operant conditioning, behaviors that are...
02:59Cancer Prevention
Some...