Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40945528›Full record

SynthesisLancet (London, England)2025

Parent-focused behavioural interventions for the prevention of early childhood obesity (TOPCHILD): a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis.

Kylie E Hunter, David Nguyen, Sol Libesman, Jonathan G Williams, Mason Aberoumand, Jannik Aagerup, Brittany J Johnson, Rebecca K Golley, Angie Barba, James X Sotiropoulos and 63 more

Abstract readSystematic ReviewMeta-Analysis
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Lancet (London, England), 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
–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

6 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Supporting Decision Making in Early Years Initiatives: Co-Designing a Child Health Evidence Dashboard.Health promotion journal of Australia : official journal of Australian Association of Health Promotion Professionals · 2026
    Article
  4. Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
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

73 authors.

Kylie E HunterNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: kylie.hunter@sydney.edu.au.
David NguyenNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Sol LibesmanNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Jonathan G WilliamsNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Mason AberoumandNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Jannik AagerupNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Centre Rostock, Rostock, Germany; German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), Partner Site Greifswald/Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
Brittany J JohnsonFlinders University, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Caring Futures Institute, Bedford Park, SA, Australia.
Rebecca K GolleyFlinders University, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Caring Futures Institute, Bedford Park, SA, Australia.
Angie BarbaNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
James X SotiropoulosNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Nipun ShresthaUniversity of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Health Evidence Synthesis, Recommendations and Impact (HESRI), School of Public Health, The University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
Talia PalaciosNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Samantha J PrydeFlinders University, College of Nursing and Health Sciences, Caring Futures Institute, Bedford Park, SA, Australia.
Luke WolfendenThe University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, Australia.
Rachael W TaylorUniversity of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Peter J GodolphinMRC Clinical Trials Unit at UCL, Institute of Clinical Trials and Methodology, University College London, London, UK.
Karen Matvienko-SikarUniversity College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
Lee M SandersStanford University, Stanford, CA, USA.
Kristy P RobledoNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Vicki BrownDeakin Health Economics, Institute for Health Transformation, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
Charles T WoodDuke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
Sarah TakiUniversity of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
H Shonna YinNYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Alison J HayesNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Denise A O'ConnorMonash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
Wendy SmithSydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
David E EspinozaNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Lisa AskieNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Paul M ChadwickUniversity College London, London, UK.
Chris RisselUniversity of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Angela C WebsterUniversity of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Kylie D HeskethInstitute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, VIC, Australia.
Maria BryantUniversity of York, York, UK.
Jessica L ThomsonUSDA Agricultural Research Service, Stoneville, MS, USA.
Rajalakshmi LakshmanUniversity of Cambridge, MRC Epidemiology Unit, Cambridge, UK.
Alexander G FiksChildren's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
Christine HelleUniversity of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.
Cathleen Odar StoughUniversity of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Ken K OngUniversity of Cambridge, MRC Epidemiology Unit, Cambridge, UK.
Eliana M PerrinJohns Hopkins University Schools of Medicine and Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Levie KarssenRadboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Junilla K LarsenRadboud University, Nijmegen, Netherlands.
Ana M LinaresUniversity of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA.
Mary Jo MessitoNYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Li Ming WenUniversity of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Emily OkenHarvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Nina Cecilie ØverbyUniversity of Agder, Faculty of Health and Sport Sciences, Department of Nutrition and Public Health, Kristiansand, Norway.
Cristina PalaciosFlorida International University, Miami, FL, USA.
Ian M PaulPenn State College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA.
Finn E RasmussenDepartment of Global Public Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Elizabeth A ReifsniderArizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
Russell L RothmanVanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA.
Rebecca A ByrneQueensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Tiffany M RybakCincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
Sarah-Jeanne SalvyCedars Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Heather M WasserUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Amanda L ThompsonUniversity of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
Ata GhaderiKarolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden.
Barry J TaylorUniversity of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
Claudio MaffeisUniversity of Verona, Verona, Italy.
Huilan XuUniversity of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Jennifer S SavagePenn State University, University Park, PA, USA.
Kaumudi J JoshipuraAhmedabad University, Bagchi School of Public Health, Ahmedabad, India; Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA.
Kayla de la HayeUniversity of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Margrethe RøedUniversity of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.
Bethan CopseyUniversity of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
Natalia GolovaLifespan, Brown University Health, Providence, RI, USA.
Rachel S GrossNYU Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
Stephanie Anzman-FrascaUniversity at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA.
Jinan BannaUniversity of Hawaii, Honolulu, HI, USA.
Louise A BaurUniversity of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Anna Lene SeidlerNHMRC Clinical Trials Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Centre Rostock, Rostock, Germany; German Center for Child and Adolescent Health (DZKJ), Partner Site Greifswald/Rostock, Rostock, Germany.
TOPCHILD Collaboration

Funding

Kentucky Center for Clinical and Translational ScienceUL1TR001998 · UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY · 2025 to 2025
$3.3M
Research Training in Child Behavior and NutritionT32DK063929 · CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR · 2003 to 2025
$901k
A Novel Obesity Prevention Program for High-Risk Infants in Primary CareR01DK135497 · CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR · 2025 to 2025
$318k
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR000117NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR001998NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD073237NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD092483NIDDK NIH HHS K01 DK111793NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK088244NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK135497NIDDK NIH HHS T32 DK063929
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundChildhood obesity is a global public health issue, which has prompted governments to invest in prevention programmes. We aimed to investigate the effectiveness of parent-focused early childhood obesity prevention interventions globally.

methodsWe did a systematic review and individual participant data meta-analysis. We searched databases and trial registries (MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, PsycInfo, ClinicalTrials.gov, and WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform) from inception until Sept 30, 2024, for randomised controlled trials commencing before 12 months of age examining parent-focused behavioural interventions to prevent obesity in children, compared with usual care, no intervention, or attention control. Individual participant data were checked, harmonised, and assessed for integrity and risk of bias. We excluded trials that were quasi-randomised, investigated pregnancy-only interventions, or did not collect any child weight-related outcomes. The primary outcome was BMI Z score at age 24 months (±6 months). We did an intention-to-treat, two-stage, random effects meta-analysis to examine effects overall and for prespecified subgroups. We assessed certainty of evidence using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation. This study is registered with PROSPERO, CRD42020177408.

findingsOf 19 990 identified records, 47 (0·24%) trials were completed and eligible. Of these, 18 (38%) assessed our primary outcome, BMI Z score. We obtained individual participant data for 17 (94%; n=9128) of these 18 trials (n=9383), representing 97% of eligible participants. Of these 9128 participants, 4549 (50%) were boys, 4415 (48%) were girls, and 164 (2%) had unknown sex. We found no evidence of an effect of interventions on BMI Z score at age 24 months (±6 months; mean difference -0·01 [95% CI -0·08 to 0·05]; high certainty evidence, τ

interpretationThese findings indicate that examined parent-focused behavioural interventions are insufficient to prevent obesity at age 24 months (±6 months). This evidence highlights a need to re-think childhood obesity prevention approaches.

fundingAustralian National Health and Medical Research Council.

Indexed as

Behavior TherapyParentsPediatric ObesityBody Mass IndexChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansInfantMaleRandomized Controlled Trials as Topic

Identifiers

PMID40945528
PMCPMC12884657

What Socratic holds

Textmetadata
LicenceTDM
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.