Family-based child weight management intervention in early childhood in low-income families: A systematic review

Abstract

Child obesity is more common in low-income families. Early childhood is highly influenced by the family-based environment that mostly includes parents. This systematic review synthesized and examined the effects of family-based intervention for early childhood (two to five years) weight management among low-income families. Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, EMBASE, Cochrane electronic databases, and Google scholar databases) and published literature were searched for empirical studies and seven articles were included based on inclusion criteria. For each study, quality assessment, data extraction, and synthesis were conducted as guidelines Cochrane and Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses. In four randomized controlled trials, two before and two after intervention studies, and one quasi-experimental study, 890 participants were included in the family-based child weight management intervention. There was significant reduction in early childhood weight in four studies. The evidence for revealing the effect of family-based intervention was insufficient and inconsistent. However, the findings suggest limitations of family-based children weight management intervention in low-income families and could contribute as an indicator for future effective intervention development.