Obesity Prevention Programs That Work!
Being involved in an multi-state obesity-prevention effort, I was curious to know what interventions work and what interventions do not. The following paper by Stice et al provides an overview of current obesity prevention efforts and whether they were effective.
(source: Pub Med, U. of Texas, by Stice et al.)
Abstract
This meta-analytic review summarizes obesity prevention programs and their effects and investigates participant, intervention, delivery, and design features associated with larger effects. A literature search identified 64 prevention programs seeking to produce weight gain prevention effects, of which 21% produced significant prevention effects that were typically pre to post effects. Larger effects emerged for programs targeting children and adolescents (versus preadolescents) and females, programs that were relatively brief, programs solely targeting weight control versus other health behaviors (e.g., smoking), programs evaluated in pilot trials, and programs wherein participants must self-select into the intervention. Other factors, including mandated improvements in diet and exercise, sedentary behavior reduction, delivery by trained interventionists, and parental involvement, were not associated with significantly larger effects.
