An Integrative Review of Interventions for Adolescent Weight Loss

Abstract

The number of overweight adolescents aged 12–19 has tripled during the past 2 decades. Although health risks associated with obesity in adolescence and adulthood are well documented in the literature, little is known about the efficacy of interventions to reduce health risks of this group. The purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review to describe the scope, domain, and effectiveness of weight loss interventions with overweight adolescents. English-language journal articles published in nursing, psychology, nutrition, medicine, and exercise physiology literature between 1980 and 2003 were retrieved. Seventeen studies using comparison or control groups and interventions directed at reductions in adolescent body mass index or body weight were identified. Descriptive findings of those studies are reported here. Five specific limitations of these studies emerged from the analysis of the interventions: the study findings have not been validated by replication, the samples failed to include adequate representation of Latino and African American male participants, family participation in studies has been inconsistent and infrequent, there is a need for attention to study dropout rates (with attrition reported as high as 45%), and there is a need for conceptual frameworks to guide the studies.