Behavior Change Techniques That Prevent or Decrease Obesity in Youth With a Low Socioeconomic Status: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Background:

Interventions, targeting youth, are necessary to prevent obesity later in life. Especially youth with low socioeconomic status (SES) are vulnerable to develop obesity. This meta-analysis examines the effectiveness of behavioral change techniques (BCTs) to prevent or reduce obesity among 0 to 18-year-olds with a low SES in developed countries.

Method:

Intervention studies were identified from systematic reviews or meta-analyses published between 2010 and 2020 and retrieved from PsycInfo, Cochrane systematic review, and PubMed. The main outcome was body mass index (BMI), and we coded the BCTs.

Results:

Data from 30 studies were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled postintervention effects of these studies indicated a nonsignificant decrease in BMI for the intervention group. Longer follow-up (≥12 months) showed favorable differences for intervention studies, although that BMI change was small. Subgroup analyses showed larger effects for studies with six or more BCTs. Furthermore, subgroup analyses showed a significant pooled effect in favor of the intervention for the presence of a specific BCT (problem-solving, social support, instruction on how to perform the behavior, identification of self as role model, and demonstration of the behavior), or absence of a specific BCT (information about health consequences). The intervention program duration and age group of the study population did not significantly influence the studies' effect sizes.

Conclusions:

Generally, the effects of interventions on BMI change among youth with low SES are small to neglectable. Studies with more than six BCTs and/or specific BCTs had a higher likelihood of decreasing BMI of youth with low SES.