Open AccessSelf-Help for Weight Loss in Overweight and Obese Adults: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Author(s) -
Jamie HartmannBoyce,
Susan A. Jebb,
Benjamin Fletcher,
Paul Aveyard
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2014.302389
Subject(s) - overweight , meta analysis , obesity , medicine , weight loss , medline , systematic review , environmental health , body mass index , gerontology , political science , law
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis investigating the components and effectiveness of self-help weight-loss interventions and their applicability to less-advantaged populations. We searched (November 2013) for randomized controlled trials comparing self-help interventions with each other or with minimal controls in overweight and obese adults, with 6 months or longer follow-up. We calculated mean difference between intervention and control for 6- and 12-month weight change. Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria (9632 participants; 39 intervention arms). Intervention participants lost significantly more weight than controls at 6 months (mean difference -1.85 kg; 95% confidence interval [CI]=-2.86, -0.83; 7 studies). No significant effect was detected at 12 months but results were sensitive to the inclusion of 1 study at high risk of bias. Interactive programs appeared more effective than standard ones at 6 months (mean difference -0.94 kg; 95% CI=-1.50, -0.38). Evidence is insufficient to reach conclusions on effectiveness in socioeconomically disadvantaged people, but suggests self-help interventions may be less effective in this group.