scholarly journals School based interventions versus family based interventions in the treatment of childhood obesity- a systematic review

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Saravana Kumar Kothandan
Author(s):  
Zheng Liu ◽  
Han-Meng Xu ◽  
Li-Ming Wen ◽  
Yuan-Zhou Peng ◽  
Li-Zi Lin ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Childhood obesity is a serious public health concern. School-based interventions hold great promise to combat the rising trend of childhood obesity. This systematic review aimed to assess the overall effects of school-based obesity prevention interventions, and to investigate characteristics of intervention components that are potentially effective for preventing childhood obesity. Methods We systematically searched MEDLINE, CENTRAL and Embase databases to identify randomized- or cluster randomized- controlled trials of school-based obesity interventions published between 1990 and 2019. We conducted meta-analyses and subgroup analyses to determine the overall effects of obesity prevention programs and effect differences by various characteristics of intervention components on body mass index (BMI) or BMI Z-score of children. Results This systematic review included a total of 50 trials (reported by 56 publications). Significant differences were found between groups on BMI (− 0.14 kg/m2 (95% confidence interval: − 0.21, − 0.06)) and BMI Z-score (− 0.05 (− 0.10, − 0.01)) for single-component interventions; significant differences were also found between groups on BMI (− 0.32 (− 0.54, − 0.09) kg/m2) and BMI Z-score (− 0.07 (− 0.14, − 0.001)) for multi-component interventions. Subgroup analyses consistently demonstrated that effects of single-component (physical activity) interventions including curricular sessions (− 0.30 (− 0.51, − 0.10) kg/m2 in BMI) were stronger than those without curricular sessions (− 0.04 (− 0.17, 0.09) kg/m2 in BMI); effects of single-component (physical activity) interventions were also strengthened if physical activity sessions emphasized participants’ enjoyment (− 0.19 (− 0.33, − 0.05) kg/m2 in BMI for those emphasizing participants’ enjoyment; − 0.004 (− 0.10, 0.09) kg/m2 in BMI for those not emphasizing participants’ enjoyment). The current body of evidence did not find specific characteristics of intervention components that were consistently associated with improved efficacy for multi-component interventions (P > 0.05). Conclusions School-based interventions are generally effective in reducing excessive weight gain of children. Our findings contribute to increased understandings of potentially effective intervention characteristics for single-component (physical activity) interventions. The impact of combined components on effectiveness of multi-component interventions should be the topic of further research. More high-quality studies are also needed to confirm findings of this review.


2005 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 249-254 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manfred J. Müller ◽  
Sandra Danielzik ◽  
Svenja Pust

There have been only a few controlled studies on the prevention of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents. These studies differ in relation to strategy, setting, duration, focus, variables of outcome and statistical power, and therefore do not allow general conclusions to be made about the value of preventive measures. All school-based interventions aimed at the prevention of overweight and obesity show some improvement of health knowledge and health-related behaviours. Short-term effects on nutritional state seem to be more pronounced in girls than in boys. School-based interventions can reduce the incidence of overweight. There is evidence that families of intermediate and high socio-economic status as well as intact families benefit more from treatment than families sharing other characteristics. Selected prevention in obese children is most successful when children are treated together with their parents. However, there are social barriers limiting the success of family-based interventions. Although some positive effects have been reported, simple interventions in a single area (e.g. a school health education programme) are unlikely to work on their own. The development of effective preventive interventions probably requires strategies that affect multiple settings simultaneously. At present there is no concerted action, rather many strategies in health promotion that are followed in isolation. Faced with the epidemic of overweight there is a need for national campaigns and action plans on childhood overweight and obesity. It is tempting to speculate that this strategy will also increase the value of isolated approaches (e.g. in schools and families).


2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Khadijah Angawi ◽  
Anood Gaissi

Introduction. Child obesity is recognized as one of the major public health problems globally, which demands multicomponent and comprehensive interventions. The objective of this systematic review is to evaluate, synthesize, and combine the existing evidence of various setting-based interventions across developed and developing countries that aim to prevent childhood obesity. Methods. An electronic and systematic search was conducted on setting-based interventions related to childhood obesity both in developed and developing countries. A study was considered eligible if it was a randomized controlled trial that focused on home-based, school-based, or community-based intervention for childhood obesity and published in English from 2010 to 2020. A wide range of electronic bibliographic databases, such as PubMed, Medline, Embase, and ERIC were searched. The various studies were carried out among children aged 4-18 years old. A total of 32 studies were identified; out of which 24 were school-based interventions, and the remaining were nonschool-based. Results. The studies in this review highlighted important school and nonschool-based interventions to avoid obesity among children and adolescents. School-based interventions that had considered both physical activity (PA) and diet along with home elements showed great effectiveness. These findings reveal that the specific intervention components such as nutrition education curriculum, prolonged time for PA, and upgrading self-efficacy of study participants should be considered to prevent obesity across developed and developing countries. However, the findings from nonschool-based interventions were restricted by the scarcity of the studies. Conclusion. Multisetting and multipronged strategies are required to avoid or reduce childhood obesity across the globe. However, additional studies are needed with a large sample size. Further study designs based on theory should be conducted in nonschool settings for the creation of meaningful and detailed guidelines that can support the prevention of obesity in children.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
Tarcisus Ho ◽  
Ling Jie Cheng ◽  
Ying Lau

Abstract Objective Schools offer an ideal setting for childhood obesity interventions due to their access to children and adolescents. This review aimed to systematically review the impact of school-based intervention for the treatment of childhood obesity. Design Eight databases were searched from inception till May 30, 2020. A revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations criteria were used to evaluate the risk of bias and overall evidence. Meta-analysis and meta-regression were performed on Stata software using the random-effects model. Overall effect was evaluated using Hedges’ g, and heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran’s Q and I2. Setting Cluster randomised trials (cluster-RCTs) delivered in school. Participants Children and adolescents (6-18 years of age) with overweight and obesity. Results Twelve cluster-RCTs from seven countries with 1,755 participants were included in the meta-analysis. School-based interventions for the treatment of childhood obesity reduced body mass index (BMI) and BMI z-scores with a medium effect (g=0·52). Subgroup analyses showed the greater effectiveness of brief school-based interventions and the interventions conducted in lower-middle to upper-middle economies. Meta-regression assessed the heterogeneity and the final model, with covariates of the type of economies and trial duration, accounted for 41.2% of the variability. The overall quality of evidence was rated low because of the high risk of bias and inconsistency. Conclusions School-based interventions is a possible approach to provide universal healthcare for the treatment of childhood obesity, and further well-designed cluster-RCTs with longer follow-up are needed. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020160735).


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