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Effective Weight Loss for Children: A Meta-analysis of Intervention Studies 2002-2015
Julia A Snethen1, Marion E Broome2, Pamela Treisman3
1Associate Professor, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, College of Nursing, Milwaukee, WI, USA.
Insights
Childhood overweight and obesity interventions show significant positive effects on weight loss. Further research should explore the role of nurses in implementing effective strategies for broader populations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Obesity Research
- Intervention Science
Background:
- Childhood overweight and obesity remain prevalent despite various management strategies.
- Previous interventions have yielded limited success in curbing the rising rates.
- A comprehensive review of existing interventions is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the effectiveness of interventions targeting weight loss in overweight children.
- To analyze data from studies conducted between 2002 and September 2015.
- To synthesize findings from a meta-analysis of childhood obesity interventions.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of 16 intervention studies.
- Inclusion of studies focused on overweight children aged 6-15 years.
- Interventions included dietary, physical activity, and lifestyle changes; control groups received standard care.
Main Results:
- The meta-analysis included 19 outcomes from 2,317 participants.
- Interventions demonstrated a significant positive effect on weight loss (g = 0.732, p < .001).
- Most studies were conducted internationally and by interdisciplinary teams lacking nurse involvement.
Conclusions:
- Diverse interventions significantly promote weight loss in overweight children.
- The role of nurses in developing and implementing effective interventions needs further investigation.
- Scaling up successful interventions is essential for broader public health impact.
Background:
Investigators have implemented a variety of strategies for managing and treating childhood overweight and obesity over the past decade, yet the high prevalence of childhood overweight or obesity remains. The aim of this meta-analysis was to examine the effectiveness of childhood overweight or obesity interventions addressing weight loss from 2002-September 2015.
Methods:
The population focused on in this review were children who were overweight. The treatment group interventions focused on weight loss for overweight children, and included dietary, physical activity, life style changes, or a combination of treatments. Control groups received no treatment other than what they would usually receive in their normal daily lives including standard healthcare assessments. Outcomes for the studies were focused on whether the overweight children in the treatment groups lost weight.
Results:
The criteria for the meta-analysis were met by 16 intervention studies, with a total of 19 outcomes reported within those studies. Two thousand, three hundred and seventeen participants ranged from 6 to 15 years of age with a mean age of 12 years or less. The majority of the 16 studies were conducted outside the United States (n = 13), with half reporting data on the cost of running the programming (n = 8) and were overwhelmingly conducted by interdisciplinary teams without nurses as members of the team (n = 13). The M effect was g = .732, p < .001 with a 95% confidence interval of 0.351 to 1.113, with quality scores ranging from 20 to 29 out of a possible 41. The heterogeneity analyses overall Q score was 378, an I-squared of 95, with a fail-safe N of 415.
Linking Evidence To Action:
Diverse interventions included in this meta-analysis had a significant positive effect on weight loss in overweight children. Future research needs to focus on the role of the nurse in ensuring development and translation of the effective interventions in real world settings, at a scale that would move beyond small segments of the affected populations of overweight children.
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