Evidence mapPaperPMID 35243743Full record

SynthesisObesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity2022

A systematic review of inequalities in the uptake of, adherence to, and effectiveness of behavioral weight management interventions in adults.

Jack M Birch, Rebecca A Jones, Julia Mueller, Matthew D McDonald, Rebecca Richards, Michael P Kelly, Simon J Griffin, Amy L Ahern

Abstract readSystematic Review
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 5 pooled it
field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Inequalities in Exclusively Mobile Interventions Targeting Weight-Related Behaviors: Systematic Review of Observational Studies.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Identifying Social Media-Based Interactions That Help Adults to Adhere to Weight Loss Goals: A Systematic Review.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
    Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
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  5. A systematic review of inequalities in the uptake of, adherence to, and effectiveness of behavioral weight management interventions in adults.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2022
    Pooled it
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  11. A Scoping Review of the Mechanisms Influencing Socioeconomic Disparities in Outcomes of Digital Interventions for Weight-Related Behaviors.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
    Article
  12. Article
  13. Adherence to Behavioral Weight Management: A Scoping Review of Definitions, Measurement, and Components.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2026
    Article
  14. Article
  15. The Genetic Blueprint of Obesity: From Pathogenesis to Novel Therapies.Obesity reviews : an official journal of the International Association for the Study of Obesity · 2025
    Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Jack M BirchMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-6292-1647
Rebecca A JonesMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0003-2197-1175
Julia MuellerMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-4939-7112
Matthew D McDonaldCurtin School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-8191-8854
Rebecca RichardsMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-7122-6822
Michael P KellyDepartment of Public Health and Primary Care, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2029-5841
Simon J GriffinMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0002-2157-4797
Amy L AhernMRC Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.ORCID 0000-0001-5069-4758

Funding

Medical Research Council MC_UU_00006/6Medical Research Council MC_UU_12015/4
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

The extent to which behavioral weight management interventions affect health inequalities is uncertain, as is whether trials of these interventions directly consider inequalities. We conducted a systematic review, synthesizing evidence on how different aspects of inequality impact uptake, adherence, and effectiveness in trials of behavioral weight management interventions. We included (cluster-) randomized controlled trials of primary care-applicable behavioral weight management interventions in adults with overweight or obesity published prior to March 2020. Data about trial uptake, intervention adherence, attrition, and weight change by PROGRESS-Plus criteria (place of residence, race/ethnicity, occupation, gender, religion, education, socioeconomic status, social capital, plus other discriminating factors) were extracted. Data were synthesized narratively and summarized in harvest plots. We identified 91 behavioral weight loss interventions and 12 behavioral weight loss maintenance interventions. Fifty-six of the 103 trials considered inequalities in relation to at least one of intervention or trial uptake (n = 15), intervention adherence (n = 15), trial attrition (n = 32), or weight outcome (n = 34). Most trials found no inequalities gradient. If a gradient was observed for trial uptake, intervention adherence, and trial attrition, those considered "more advantaged" did best. Alternative methods of data synthesis that enable data to be pooled and increase statistical power may enhance understanding of inequalities in behavioral weight management interventions.

Indexed as

Nutrition TherapyWeight LossAdultHumansObesityOverweightSocial Classinequalitiesinterventionsobesityweight management

Identifiers

PMID35243743
PMCPMC9285567

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.