Effective Weight Loss for Overweight Children: A Meta-Analysis of Intervention Studies

Childhood overweight has increased in the United States. Success of weight-loss programs has been limited (Barlow, S.E., & Dietz, W.H. (1998). Obesity evaluation and treatment: Expert committee recomendations. Pediatrics, 102, e29.). The purpose of this investigation was to systematically examine the effectiveness of weight-loss interventions for children. For this meta-analysis, seven weight-loss intervention studies were coded and quality index scores calculated. The interventions had a significant positive effect on weight-loss average d = 0.95, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.79 to 1.11. Limited interventional studies with effective long-term maintenance of weight loss in children are available in the literature. However, there are effective methods for weight loss in children.