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.

A Qualitative Study of the Day-to-Day Lives of Obese Mexican-American Adolescent Females

“…11,12 In addition, MexicanAmerican youth simultaneously navigate the cultures of Mexico and the United States, leading to intergenerational struggles of acculturation within families. 13 Research has revealed the importance of generational status and acculturation of the adolescent and family on nutritional intake, quality of food choices, food preparation, obesity status, and food insecurity.…”

Exploratory Research to Design a School Nurse-Delivered Intervention to Treat Adolescent Overweight and Obesity

“…While results of a recent review of evidence suggest that parents can act as agents of change in interventions which target younger children and adolescents 28 , little is known about the impact of including parents and family in interventions with older adolescents 29, 30 . And while children and younger adolescents may need parents to make or help them make healthy eating and physical activity decisions, older adolescents may prefer to assert their autonomy and make their own decisions.…”

Pediatric Obesity: Parallels with Addiction and Treatment Recommendations

“…In a recent review, Stuart et al 144 provide an in-depth analysis of treatment studies that targeted adolescent obesity and reviewed studies that met the following criteria: 1) were published between 1980 to 2003; 2) employed a minimum of 2 comparison groups, with an intervention designed to effect weight loss, and 3) enrolled participants between ages of 11 and 19 years. Initially, the authors intended to conduct a meta-analysis.…”

“…The studies ranged from 12 to 20 weeks. The interventions varied from lifestyle changes with/without family member involvement, lifestyle changes with and without exercise, the use of monetary reward structures, telephone and mail-based behavioral intervention, and an intervention with metformin as an adjunct to behavioral therapy, diet and exercise 144 . Most of the studies used group interventions (13 out of the 17), 2 studies used an individual, nongroup intervention for behavioral change 145,146 and 2 studies used physiologic interventions (metformin or low-carbohydrate/low fat diet; 147,148 .…”