ArticleCMAJ open
Treatment of overweight and obesity in children and youth: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Article in CMAJ open. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 56 papers, 20 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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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
56 citing papers in PubMed, 20 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 147 citations in OpenAlex.
- Combined diet and physical activity effects on health-related outcomes in people with overweight or obesity: an overview of systematic reviews.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Effect of Orlistat on anthropometrics and metabolic indices in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC endocrine disorders · 2023Pooled it
- Sex differences in response to lifestyle intervention among children and adolescents: Systematic review and meta-analysis.Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.) · 2023Pooled it
- Effects of different exercise modalities and intensities on body composition in overweight and obese children and adolescents: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Frontiers in physiology · 2023Pooled it
- Comparative Effectiveness of East Asian Traditional Medicine for Childhood Simple Obesity: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- Relation between Attachment and Obesity in Preschool Years: A Systematic Review of the Literature.Nutrients · 2021Pooled it
- School-based interventions for the treatment of childhood obesity: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of cluster randomised controlled trials.Public health nutrition · 2021Pooled it
- Effects of Family Intervention on Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in Children Aged 2.5-12 Years: A Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2021Pooled it
- Prevention and treatment of childhood and adolescent obesity: a systematic review of meta-analyses.World journal of pediatrics : WJP · 2019Pooled it
- Impact of Active Video Games on Body Mass Index in Children and Adolescents: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Evaluating the Quality of Primary Studies.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2019Pooled it
- Interventions for obesity among schoolchildren: A systematic review and meta-analyses.PloS one · 2019Pooled it
- Promoting active travel to school: a systematic review (2010-2016).BMC public health · 2017Pooled it
- Diet, physical activity and behavioural interventions for the treatment of overweight or obese adolescents aged 12 to 17 years.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2017Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Weight loss interventions for overweight and obese adolescents: a systematic review.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2017Pooled it
- Pediatric Obesity-Assessment, Treatment, and Prevention: An Endocrine Society Clinical Practice Guideline.The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism · 2017 · on this mapGuideline
- Multicomponent Lifestyle Interventions for Treating Overweight and Obesity in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses.Journal of obesity · 2017Pooled it
- Parent-Focused Childhood and Adolescent Overweight and Obesity eHealth Interventions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2016Pooled it
- Recommendations for growth monitoring, and prevention and management of overweight and obesity in children and youth in primary care.CMAJ : Canadian Medical Association journal = journal de l'Association medicale canadienne · 2015Guideline
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundChildhood obesity is a public health concern. One-third of North American children and youth are overweight or obese. We reviewed the evidence of behavioural and pharmacological weight-management interventions on body mass index (BMI), BMI z-score and the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children and youth.
methodsWe updated the search of a previous review. We searched 4 databases up to August 2013. We included randomized trials of primary care-relevant behavioural (diet, exercise, lifestyle) and pharmacological (orlistat) interventions for treating overweight and obesity in children and youth aged 2-18 years if 6-month post-baseline data were provided for BMI, BMI z-score or prevalence of overweight and obesity. In addition, we examined secondary health outcomes such as lipid and glucose levels, blood pressure, quality of life and physical fitness. We included any study reporting harms. We performed meta-analyses when possible, and we examined the features of interventions that showed benefits.
resultsThirty-one studies (29 behavioural, 2 pharmacological and behavioural) were included. Both intervention types showed a significant effect on BMI or BMI z-score in favour of treatment (behavioural: standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.54, 95% confidence interval [CI] -0.73 to -0.36; orlistat plus behavioural: SMD -0.43, 95% CI -0.60 to -0.25). Studies reported no significant difference between groups in the likelihood of reduced prevalence of overweight or overweight and obesity. Pooled estimates for blood pressure and quality of life showed significant benefits in favour of treatment (systolic blood pressure mean difference [MD] -3.42, 95% CI -6.65 to -0.29; diastolic blood pressure MD -3.39, 95% CI -5.17 to -1.60; quality of life MD 2.10, 95% CI 0.60 to 3.60). Gastrointestinal difficulties were more common in youth taking orlistat than in the control group (risk ratio 3.77, 95% CI 2.56 to 5.55). We saw much variability across efficacious interventions.
interpretationLow- to moderate-quality evidence suggests behavioural treatments are associated with a medium effect in terms of reduced BMI or BMI z-score compared with a small effect shown by combined pharmacological-behavioural interventions. Future research should evaluate active weight maintenance interventions in adolescents with longer follow-up and examine the effectiveness of combined pharmacological and behavioural interventions. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO no. CRD42012002754.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
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.