Systematic Review: Frameworks Used in School‐Based Interventions, the Impact on Hispanic Children's Obesity‐Related Outcomes

Abstract

BACKGROUND Childhood obesity among Hispanic children is a public health concern in the United States and Mexico. Although experiences from school‐based intervention programs aimed at influencing obesity‐related behaviors have been positive, the understanding of those framework elements that are associated with successful outcomes is limited. The purpose of this study was to examine the frameworks used within school‐based intervention programs in the United States and Mexico that showed improvements in obesity‐related outcomes among Hispanic children. METHODS A systematic review of the literature was conducted using 4 electronic databases. Inclusion criteria included: incorporating a framework or aspects of frameworks within an intervention, more than 50% of Hispanic children used in the study and obesity‐related outcomes (eg, dietary behaviors and anthropometric measurements). Data extraction and evaluation were completed using the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Evidence Analysis Manual. RESULTS Ten articles (United States = 4; Mexico = 6) meeting inclusion criteria were evaluated. Eight studies that included a community‐based framework, intensive nutrition education, and continuous communication among stakeholders resulted in improvements in dietary behaviors and anthropometric measurements among children compared to control groups. CONCLUSIONS Incorporating community‐based frameworks may increase the efficacy of school‐based intervention programs to reduce obesity‐related outcomes among Hispanic children.

Evaluation of Worksite Wellness Nutrition and Physical Activity Programs and Their Subsequent Impact on Participants’ Body Composition

“…This review was conducted by two independent researchers from Eastern Illinois University using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic review and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) [45]. Identification of studies followed a three-step process: (i) search, (ii) distillation, and (iii) independent review [46]. To assess the quality of the identified articles, the researchers used the Quality Criteria Checklist from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) Evidence Analysis Manual [46, 47].…”

“…Identification of studies followed a three-step process: (i) search, (ii) distillation, and (iii) independent review [46]. To assess the quality of the identified articles, the researchers used the Quality Criteria Checklist from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) Evidence Analysis Manual [46, 47]. No IRB approval was acquired as no humans or animals were involved in this study.…”

“…In the first phase, search, the researchers used four databases: PubaMed, CINAHL, SCOPUS, and PsycINFO to identify these articles [46]. The key search terms, in various combinations, were used to identify articles: “adults, 18 years and older,” “worksite wellness/employee wellness/organization,” “nutrition/dietary/nutritious,” “physical activity/exercise,” “interventions/programs,” “overweight/obesity,” “body composition/weight percentage,” and “body fat/weight/weight loss.” A language restriction was applied to include publications written in English.…”

“…The reference list of the retrieved articles was searched to identify other relevant manuscripts for this review. Literature searches were combined into EPPI-Reviewer 4 [48], a software to assist in screening and removing duplicate articles [46].…”

“…The second phase of the systematic review process was the distillation phase. This involved one researcher reading through the titles and abstracts to identify articles that met the following nine inclusion criterion [46]: studies (1) were published peer-reviewed; (2) were published between January 1, 1980 to November 1, 2017; (3) included experimental studies; (4) included participants over 18 years of age; (5) included participants that were overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 ) and/or obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m 2 ); (6) took place at a worksite; (7) had intervention components that included physical activity and nutrition education; (8) involved interventions that lasted 12 months or longer and (9) had outcome measurements that included body composition (BMI (kg/m 2 ), waist circumference, and weight). Articles were excluded if they did not meet the above nine criteria.…”