The effectiveness of weight loss and health promotion interventions for healthy adult women: A systematic review protocol

Abstract

Introduction: Overweight and obesity is a global public health concern. In Australia, approximately 60% of women are categorised as being overweight or obese, and this rate has been growing steadily since 1995. Positive lifestyle behaviours such as regular participation in physical activity and healthy, well balanced dietary intake can assist with weight loss and weight management, however, many adult women fail to meet recommended guidelines for these behaviours. Currently many interventions have focussed on improving these weight and lifestyle behaviours amongst specific populations (e.g., pregnant or chronically diseased), however such interventions are not always transferrable to the general healthy adult female population. The aim of this review is to systematically collate and synthesise evidence on weight loss and lifestyle behaviour interventions targeting healthy adult women. Methods: This systematic review will be guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). Four electronic databases (CINAHL, Medline, CENTRAL, and SPORTDiscus) will be searched to identify potentially relevant studies. The reference lists of all studies included in this review will also be screened to identify further studies for inclusion. The eligibility criteria for inclusion will be studies that: sample adult women (aged 18-64 years), use a randomised controlled trial study design, have weight loss or other health related behaviours (e.g., physical activity, dietary intake) as primary outcomes, and are published in English. The search strategy will include terms (and synonyms) for: weight loss, physical activity, randomised controlled trials, and lifestyle behaviours. Data on participants, study duration, mode of recruitment, study design, and outcome measures will be extracted from the studies which have been selected for inclusion. If possible, results will also be pooled for meta-analyses. Discussion: This systematic review will provide information on the effectiveness of weight loss and health promotion programs for healthy adult women, along with the components of effective interventions, and strategies for successful recruitment. Consequently, the results will help inform the development and design of future gender-tailored weight loss and health promotion programs for women. Conflict of interest statement: My co-authors and I acknowledge that we have no conflict of interest of relevance to the submission of this abstract.