New study explores the impact of behavioural weight management on children’s eating behaviour traits
A new systematic review and meta-analysis, published in our journal Obesity Reviews, has shed light on how behavioural weight management interventions (BWMIs) affect eating behaviour traits (EBTs) in children living with overweight and obesity.
The study reviews the effectiveness of these interventions in shaping healthier eating behaviours, providing important insights into addressing childhood obesity.
Globally, childhood obesity affects millions of children, leading to long-term health and well-being issues. While BWMIs have long been recognised for their ability to support weight management, their impact on specific eating behaviours has been less explored. This new study, led by researchers from the University of Cambridge and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, addresses this gap by evaluating how various interventions impact EBTs, such as emotional eating and food responsiveness.
Short-term gains in eating behaviour traits
The review analysed eight randomised controlled trials involving over 1,000 children with overweight or obesity and examined 15 different EBTs. The study showed that BWMIs can lead to positive changes in certain eating behaviours immediately after the interventions. In particular, short-term improvements were observed in dietary restraint, emotional eating, external eating, food responsiveness, and enjoyment of food at the end of the intervention.
The meta-analysis for dietary restraint, a key EBT associated with weight management, found positive short-term increases at the end of the interventions, although the effect was not sustained in follow-up assessments. Similarly, the narrative findings for emotional eating, external eating, food responsiveness, and enjoyment of food found improvements were short-term and did not persist beyond the intervention period.
READ THE STUDY
Mixed results for other behavioural traits
Although some EBTs showed positive short-term results, the study found no evidence of significant change in other traits such as satiety responsiveness, food fussiness, or slowness in eating. The authors noted the need for further research to better understand the full impact of BWMIs on these eating behaviours and to develop strategies that can sustain positive changes over a longer period.
The need for further research
The review highlights the importance of future studies examining a wider range of eating behaviour traits and conducting long-term follow-up evaluations. The limited number of trials available for analysis confirms that more research is necessary to gain a comprehensive understanding of how BWMIs influence childhood eating behaviours in the long term.
READ THE STUDYNevertheless, this research marks an important step in identifying how interventions can be tailored to target specific behavioural patterns in children with overweight and obesity, which could help improve the effectiveness of weight management programmes in the future.
This systematic review provides valuable evidence that BWMIs can positively impact children's eating behaviours, though more research is required to ensure these changes are sustainable in the long term. Given the global rise in childhood obesity, understanding how to target specific behavioural traits is essential for designing effective interventions that can make lasting impacts.
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World Obesity publishes four scientific, peer-reviewed journals, each focusing on a different area of obesity research: systematic reviews, pediatrics, clinical treatment, and science and practice.
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