Dima Kreidieh 1 , Leila Itani 1 , Germine El Kassas 1 , Dana El Masri 1 , Simona Calugi 2 , Riccardo Dalle Grave 2 , Marwan El Ghoch 1,2 . Show Affiliations »
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Obesity is a growing health problem worldwide. It is associated with serious medical and psychosocial comorbidities that increase the risk of mortality. However, strong evidence confirms lifestyle-modification programs as the cornerstone treatment for excess weight and obesity. The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of the lifestyle-modification programs for weight management delivered in Arabic-speaking countries. METHODS: The PubMed database was searched, and studies conducted in humans were identified and screened as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data were collated using meta-analysis and a narrative approach. RESULTS: Of the 1057 articles retrieved, six studies, conducted in four Arab countries, comprising a total of 444 adolescent and adult participants of both genders with overweight and obesity, met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Most studies that assessed weight loss at 6-month follow-up showed no significant reduction in body weight. Meta-analysis confirmed that the lifestyle-modification programs delivered were no more effective than other treatments. Only one article reported significant weight-loss maintenance after 12 months of follow-up. However this was a prospective non-controlled study in which the weight loss maintained (=4%) did not conform to the standard for clinical significance (>10%). CONCLUSION: Lifestyle-modification programs for weight management delivered in Arabic-speaking countries seem lacking in effectiveness due to methodological weaknesses in program adaptation, a lack of expert clinical supervision before and during implementation, and the presence of barriers to lifestyle modification, especially for women. Future studies should bear these features in mind. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.
BACKGROUND: Obesity is a growing health problem worldwide. It is associated with serious medical and psychosocial comorbidities that increase the risk of mortality. However, strong evidence confirms lifestyle-modification programs as the cornerstone treatment for excess weight and obesity . The aim of this systematic review was to assess the effectiveness of the lifestyle-modification programs for weight management delivered in Arabic-speaking countries. METHODS: The PubMed database was searched, and studies conducted in humans were identified and screened as per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Data were collated using meta-analysis and a narrative approach. RESULTS: Of the 1057 articles retrieved, six studies, conducted in four Arab countries, comprising a total of 444 adolescent and adult participants of both genders with overweight and obesity , met the inclusion criteria and were reviewed. Most studies that assessed weight loss at 6-month follow-up showed no significant reduction in body weight. Meta-analysis confirmed that the lifestyle-modification programs delivered were no more effective than other treatments. Only one article reported significant weight-loss maintenance after 12 months of follow-up. However this was a prospective non-controlled study in which the weight loss maintained (=4%) did not conform to the standard for clinical significance (>10%). CONCLUSION: Lifestyle-modification programs for weight management delivered in Arabic-speaking countries seem lacking in effectiveness due to methodological weaknesses in program adaptation, a lack of expert clinical supervision before and during implementation, and the presence of barriers to lifestyle modification, especially for women . Future studies should bear these features in mind. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.
Entities: Disease
Species
Keywords:
Arab countries; Obesity; lifestyle modification; overweight; type 2 diabetes; weight loss treatment.
Mesh: See more »
Year: 2018
PMID: 28625131 DOI: 10.2174/1573399813666170619085756
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Curr Diabetes Rev ISSN: 1573-3998