Spanish 
Chinese 
Russian 
German 
French 
Japanese 
Portuguese 
Hindi Review Article
A Systematic Review of Community-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs
| Melinda J Ickes1* and Manoj Sharma2 | |
| 1Assistant Professor, Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion, University of Kentucky, USA | |
| 2Professor, Health Promotion & Education & Environmental Health, University of Cincinnati, USA | |
| Corresponding Author : | Melinda J Ickes Assistant Professor Department of Kinesiology and Health Promotion University of Kentucky 111 Seaton Building Lexington, KY 40506-0219,USA Tel: (859) 257-1625 E-mail: melinda.ickes@uky.edu |
| Received August 08, 2013; Accepted August 23, 2013; Published August 26, 2013 | |
| Citation: Ickes MJ, Sharma M (2013) A Systematic Review of Community-Based Childhood Obesity Prevention Programs. J Obes Weight Loss Ther 3:188. doi:10.4172/2165-7904.1000188 | |
| Copyright: © 2013 Ickes MJ, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. | |
Abstract
Background: The problem of overweight and obesity has reached epidemic proportions in the United States as well as globally. School-based interventions, after school interventions, home and family based interventions and community-based interventions have been developed to address the problem of childhood overweight and obesity. Understanding the best approach to impact obesity rates is a necessity for health professionals. Therefore, the purpose of this article was to examine the efficacy of community-based interventions targeting childhood obesity and to further develop a set of recommendations for future interventions. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted independently by two authors in four relevant databases. Inclusion criteria were (1) primary research; (2) overweight or obesity prevention interventions; (3) community-based; (4) studies that used a quantitative design and provided outcome data; and (5) were published through September 2012. Results: A total of 15 interventions met the inclusion criteria, of which six were randomized controlled trials. Eleven interventions were from the United States with one each from Canada, Australia, England and Tonga. Eight interventions utilized a theoretical framework, with Social Cognitive Theory being the most commonly utilized theory. Discussion: Recommendations for future community based interventions include utilization of multiple settings including schools, use of behavioral theory and its explicit operationalization, use of interactive strategies including social support and involvement of parents and family, along with use of environmental change approaches.
