Effectiveness and Components of Web-Based Interventions on Weight Changes in Adults Who Were Overweight and Obese: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analyses

Abstract

Overweight and obesity have reached epidemic proportions worldwide. The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in an increased need for remote implementation of weight-loss interventions; therefore, the effectiveness of web-based interventions needed to be assessed. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of web-based interventions and their potency in facilitating weight changes in adults who were overweight or obese. We searched PubMed and Ichu-shi Web from the first year of inclusion in each database until the search date (30 September 2020). Among 1466 articles retrieved from the two databases and manual search, 97 were selected to undergo qualitative analysis and 51 articles were subjected to quantitative analysis. Qualitative analysis of 97 articles demonstrated that articles showing significant effectiveness mostly used the following components: social support, self-monitoring for behavior, self-monitoring for the outcome (weight), behavioral goal setting, information about health consequences, and outcome goal setting. Quantitative analysis of 51 articles showed a significant effectiveness of web-based intervention (standardized mean difference, −0.57; 95% confidence interval, −0.75 to −0.40). This study demonstrated the effectiveness of web-based interventions on weight change in adults with overweight and obesity. Subgroup meta-analyses identified personalized information provision and expert advice to be remarkably effective components.