SynthesisPublic health nutrition2021
School-based interventions for the treatment of childhood obesity: a systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of cluster randomised controlled trials.
Synthesis in Public health nutrition, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 17 papers, 3 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
17 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- An Umbrella Review of Systematic Reviews of School-Based Nutrition Interventions to Determine Outcomes Used and Their Measurement Tools.Nutrition reviews · 2026Pooled it
- Public health interventions for the prevention and management of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents: a rapid review.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Interventions for Childhood Central Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.JAMA network open · 2025Pooled it
- Long-Term Effects of a Multidisciplinary School-Based Intervention on Children's Healthy Habits: A 1-Year Follow-Up.Nutrients · 2026Trial
- Effectiveness of a telephone-based randomised clinical trial targeting obesity risk of preschool-aged children: An extension study during the COVID-19 pandemic.International journal of obesity (2005) · 2025Trial
- Theorizing How Context Influences School-Based Interventions That Support Children's Weight Management: Co-Producing a Refined Logic Model.Journal of participatory medicine · 2026Article
- Article
- Feasibility and acceptability of a school-based Group Motivational Interviewing intervention to reduce sugar-sweetened beverages among young people in East London: DISS feasibility study.BMJ public health · 2026Article
- Publishing Trends in the Field of School-Based Health From 2014 to 2024: A Bibliometric Analysis.Cureus · 2025Review
- Article
- Key components of effective non-pharmacological interventions for childhood obesity: a review considering social determinants of health.European journal of pediatrics · 2025Review
- Effect of School-Based Educational Intervention on Childhood Obesity in Croatian Urban and Rural Settings.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Modeling approaches for assessing device-based measures of energy expenditure in school-based studies of body weight status.Frontiers in applied mathematics and statistics · 2024Article
- Title: A Qualitative Systematic Review of Parental Perceptions, Motivators, and Barriers to Management of Childhood Obesity.Diabetes, metabolic syndrome and obesity : targets and therapy · 2024Article
- Article
- Physical Activity and Nutrition Intervention for Middle Schoolers (Move More, Get More): Protocol for a Quasi-Experimental Study.JMIR research protocols · 2022Article
- Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveSchools offer an ideal setting for childhood obesity interventions due to their access to children and adolescents. This review aimed to systematically review the impact of school-based intervention for the treatment of childhood obesity.
designEight databases were searched from inception till 30 May 2020. A revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool and the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations criteria were used to evaluate the risk of bias and overall evidence. Meta-analysis and meta-regression were performed on Stata software using the random effects model. Overall effect was evaluated using Hedges' g, and heterogeneity was assessed using Cochran's Q and I2.
settingCluster randomised controlled trials (cluster-RCT) delivered in school.
participantsChildren and adolescents (6-18 years of age) with overweight and obesity.
resultsTwelve cluster-RCT from seven countries with 1755 participants were included in the meta-analysis. School-based interventions for the treatment of childhood obesity reduced BMI and BMI z-scores with a medium effect (g = 0·52). Subgroup analyses showed greater effectiveness of brief school-based interventions and the interventions conducted in lower-middle to upper-middle economies. Meta-regression assessed the heterogeneity and the final model, with covariates of the type of economies and trial duration, accounted for 41·2 % of the variability. The overall quality of evidence was rated low because of the high risk of bias and inconsistency.
conclusionsSchool-based interventions are a possible approach to provide universal healthcare for the treatment of childhood obesity, and further well-designed cluster-RCT with longer follow-up are needed. This study is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020160735).
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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 Socratic graph.