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School-based obesity prevention programs: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
Shira Sobol-Goldberg1, Jonathan Rabinowitz, Revital Gross
1Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel.
Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
|June 25, 2013
Summary
School-based obesity prevention programs show mild effectiveness in reducing children's BMI. Comprehensive, longer programs involving parents are most successful, offering convincing evidence for recent interventions.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pediatrics
- Evidence-Based Medicine
Background:
- Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern.
- Previous systematic reviews (until 2006) found inconsistent evidence on school-based obesity prevention program effectiveness.
- An updated review is needed to assess current evidence.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct an updated systematic review and meta-analysis of school-based obesity prevention programs.
- To evaluate the effectiveness of these programs in reducing Body Mass Index (BMI).
- To identify characteristics of effective interventions.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.
- Replication of methodology from previous reviews, extending search through January 2012.
- Analysis of 32 studies involving 52,109 participants.
Main Results:
- School-based programs demonstrated mild effectiveness in reducing BMI compared to controls.
- Interventions showed significant effects in children but not in teenagers.
- Meta-regression indicated that longer, comprehensive programs (nutrition, physical activity, parental involvement) yielded the largest effects.
Conclusions:
- Recent school-based obesity prevention interventions provide convincing evidence of mild effectiveness in reducing children's BMI.
- Longer duration, comprehensive program components, and parental support contribute to intervention success.
- Findings contrast with earlier reviews, highlighting improvements in intervention design and implementation.
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