Abstract
Objective: There are many systematic reviews of weight-management interventions delivered by healthcare professionals, but it is not clear under what circumstances interventions are effective due to differences in review methodology. This review of systematic-reviews synthesises the evidence about: (a) the effectiveness of healthcare-professional delivered weight-management interventions, and (b) intervention and sample characteristics related to their effectiveness.
Design: The review of review involved searching six databases (inception - October 2020). Reviews were included if they were (a) systematic; (b) weight-management interventions delivered, at least partially, by healthcare-professionals; (c) of randomized controlled trials; and (d) written in English. Data regarding weight-management outcomes (e.g., weight) and moderating-factors were extracted. Secondary analyses were conducted using study-level data reported in each of the reviews.
Participants: not applicable.
Results: Six systematic-reviews were included (46 unique studies). First-level synthesis showed that weight-management interventions delivered by healthcare professionals are effective. The second-level synthesis found that interventions are only successful for up to 6 months, are most effective for women, non-Caucasians and adults and are most effective if they have at least 6 sessions
Conclusions: As interventions are only successful for up to 6 months they are not sufficient for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. As the interventions are not effective for all groups and require high intensity so may not be cost-effective.
Design: The review of review involved searching six databases (inception - October 2020). Reviews were included if they were (a) systematic; (b) weight-management interventions delivered, at least partially, by healthcare-professionals; (c) of randomized controlled trials; and (d) written in English. Data regarding weight-management outcomes (e.g., weight) and moderating-factors were extracted. Secondary analyses were conducted using study-level data reported in each of the reviews.
Participants: not applicable.
Results: Six systematic-reviews were included (46 unique studies). First-level synthesis showed that weight-management interventions delivered by healthcare professionals are effective. The second-level synthesis found that interventions are only successful for up to 6 months, are most effective for women, non-Caucasians and adults and are most effective if they have at least 6 sessions
Conclusions: As interventions are only successful for up to 6 months they are not sufficient for achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. As the interventions are not effective for all groups and require high intensity so may not be cost-effective.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-38 |
| Journal | Public Health Nutrition |
| Early online date | 28 Oct 2021 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 28 Oct 2021 |