Background: Prevalence rates of overweight children and youths remain high meaning that preventive measures are still necessary. Combined interventions are rated highly in the field of overweight prevention, particularly with regard to the key areas of diet, physical activity and life skills.
Objectives: It is our aim to give an overview of current studies with combined interventions for the prevention of overweight, to derive comprehensive insights and to identify knowledge gaps.
Methods: A systematic review of combined interventions for 6-16 year old children and youths forms the basis of this contribution. Twelve data bases, the internet and references were searched for controlled studies. Study quality was appraised with the EPHPP-tool; if randomisation was present the risk of bias was assessed. Studies with the explicit aim of preventing overweight were analysed separately.
Results: Thirteen studies remained from 12,136 screened titles. Interventions were school-based and occasionally different intervention sites were linked to each other. All 13 interventions involved measures focusing on diet, physical activity and life skills; measures targeting structures and conditions were inadequately represented. The duration of intervention and follow-up time points varied widely. More than half of the studies reported positive effects on body mass index.
Conclusions: The number of published controlled studies with combined interventions is surprisingly low. With regard to the prevention of overweight, the potential of life skills programs seems not yet to be exhausted; measures targeting structures and conditions are insufficiently utilised.
Keywords: Diet; Evidence; Life skills; Physical activity; Prevention.