SynthesisObesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity2014
Effect of behavioural techniques and delivery mode on effectiveness of weight management: systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression.
Synthesis in Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 114 papers, 18 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
114 citing papers in PubMed, 18 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- EffectS of Lifestyle Interventions in Older PEople With Obesity (Effective SLOPE): a Systematic Review With Network Meta-Analyses.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic review of influences on engagement with remote health interventions targeting weight management for individuals living with excess weight.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Impact of program characteristics on weight loss in adult behavioral weight management interventions: systematic review and component network meta-analysis.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2022Pooled it
- The Effectiveness of Combining Nonmobile Interventions With the Use of Smartphone Apps With Various Features for Weight Loss: Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.JMIR mHealth and uHealth · 2022Pooled it
- Identifying effective characteristics of behavioral weight management interventions for people with serious mental illness: A systematic review with a qualitative comparative analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2022Pooled it
- The impact of adult behavioural weight management interventions on mental health: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2021Pooled it
- Your Personal Motivator is with You: A Systematic Review of Mobile Phone Applications Aiming at Increasing Physical Activity.Sports medicine (Auckland, N.Z.) · 2019Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of the effectiveness of meal replacements for weight loss.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2019Pooled it
- Behavior Change Techniques Used in Digital Behavior Change Interventions to Reduce Excessive Alcohol Consumption: A Meta-regression.Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · 2018Pooled it
- Effective behaviour change techniques for physical activity and healthy eating in overweight and obese adults; systematic review and meta-regression analyses.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2017Pooled it
- Cognitive and behavioural strategies for self-directed weight loss: systematic review of qualitative studies.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2017Pooled it
- Behaviour change techniques targeting both diet and physical activity in type 2 diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis.The international journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity · 2017Pooled it
- Weight change among people randomized to minimal intervention control groups in weight loss trials.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2016Pooled it
- Mobile Phone and Web 2.0 Technologies for Weight Management: A Systematic Scoping Review.Journal of medical Internet research · 2015Pooled it
- Self-help for weight loss in overweight and obese adults: systematic review and meta-analysis.American journal of public health · 2015Pooled it
- Behavioural weight management programmes for adults assessed by trials conducted in everyday contexts: systematic review and meta-analysis.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2014Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Early Weight Loss and Other Factors Associated With Clinically Significant Weight Loss in Two Commercial Weight Loss Programmes.Clinical obesity · 2026Trial
- Use of Cognitive and Behavioral Strategies During a Weight Loss Program: A Secondary Analysis of the Doctor Referral of Overweight People to Low-Energy Total Diet Replacement Treatment (DROPLET) Trial.Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics · 2023Trial
54 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
Abstract
A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression were conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of behavioural weight management programmes and examine how programme characteristics affect mean weight loss. Randomized controlled trials of multicomponent behavioural weight management programmes in overweight and obese adults were included. References were obtained through systematic searches of electronic databases (conducted November 2012), screening reference lists and contacting experts. Two reviewers extracted data and evaluated risk of bias. Thirty-seven studies, representing over 16,000 participants, were included. The pooled mean difference in weight loss at 12 months was -2.8 kg (95% confidence interval [CI] -3.6 to -2.1, P < 0.001). I(2) indicated that 93% of the variability in outcome was due to differences in programme effectiveness. Meta-analysis showed no evidence that supervised physical activity sessions (mean difference 1.1 kg, 95% CI -2.65 to 4.79, P = 0.08), more frequent contact (mean difference -0.3 kg, 95% CI -0.7 to 0.2, P = 0.25) or in-person contact (mean difference 0.0 kg, 95% CI -1.8 to 1.8, P = 0.06) were related to programme effectiveness at 12 months. In meta-regression, calorie counting (-3.3 kg, 95% CI -4.6 to -2.0, P = 0.027), contact with a dietitian (-1.5 kg, 95% CI -2.9 to -0.2, P < 0.001) and use of behaviour change techniques that compare participants' behaviour with others (-1.5 kg, 95% CI -2.9 to -0.1, P = 0.032) were associated with greater weight loss. There was no evidence that other programme characteristics were associated with programme effectiveness. Most but not all behavioural weight management programmes are effective. Programmes that support participants to count calories or include a dietitian may be more effective, but the programme characteristics explaining success are mainly unknown.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.