The use of web-based interventions to prevent excessive weight gain

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Behavioral Science
• Digital Health

Background:

• Overweight and obesity are significant public health concerns requiring effective prevention strategies.
• Web-based interventions offer a scalable approach to reach diverse populations for health promotion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the effectiveness of web-based interventions for overweight and obesity prevention.
• To synthesize findings on changes in physical activity, dietary intake, and psychological factors.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive literature search was conducted across seven electronic databases, supplemented by manual searches.
• Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria, focusing on physical activity, dietary practices, or combined interventions.
• A meta-analysis was performed to quantify the impact on key health behaviors.

Main Results:

• Twenty-eight studies (93%) reported positive trends in physical activity, fruit/vegetable intake, and psychological well-being.
• Meta-analysis indicated non-significant improvements in fruit and vegetable consumption (SMD = 0.61) and physical activity (SMD = 0.15).

Conclusions:

• Web-based interventions serve as valuable educational tools for raising awareness about weight management.
• These digital platforms can facilitate healthy behavior changes to address excessive weight gain.