Interventions aimed at preventing and reducing overweight/obesity among children and adolescents: a meta-synthesis
Kobes A, Kretschmer T, Timmerman G, Schreuder P (2018)
Publication Type: Journal article, Review article
Publication year: 2018
Journal
Book Volume: 19
Pages Range: 1065-1079
Journal Issue: 8
DOI: 10.1111/obr.12688
Abstract
The prevalence of child and adolescent obesity has been a major worldwide problem for decades. To stop the number of youth with overweight/obesity from increasing, numerous interventions focusing on improving children's weight status have been implemented. The growing body of research on weight-related interventions for youth has been summarized by several meta-analyses aiming to provide an overview of the effectiveness of interventions. Yet, the number of meta-analyses is expanding so quickly and overall results differ, making a comprehensive synopsis of the literature difficult. To tackle this problem, a meta-synthesis was conducted to draw informed conclusions about the state of the effectiveness of interventions targeting child and adolescent overweight. The results of the quantitative synthesis of 26 meta-analyses resulted in a standardized mean difference (SMD) of −0.12 (95%CI: −0.16, −0.08). Several moderator analyses showed that participant and intervention characteristics had little impact on the overall effect size. However, a moderator analysis distinguishing between obesity treatment and obesity prevention studies showed that obesity treatment interventions (SMD: −0.048, 95%CI: −0.60, −0.36) were significantly more effective in reducing body mass index than obesity prevention interventions (SMD: −0.08, 95%CI: −0.11, −0.06). Overall, the results of this meta-synthesis suggest that interventions result in statistically significant effects albeit of relatively little clinical relevance.
Involved external institutions
Netherlands (NL)How to cite
APA:
Kobes, A., Kretschmer, T., Timmerman, G., & Schreuder, P. (2018). Interventions aimed at preventing and reducing overweight/obesity among children and adolescents: a meta-synthesis. Obesity Reviews, 19(8), 1065-1079. https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12688
MLA:
Kobes, A., et al. "Interventions aimed at preventing and reducing overweight/obesity among children and adolescents: a meta-synthesis." Obesity Reviews 19.8 (2018): 1065-1079.
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