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Obesity Prevention and Control: Provider-Oriented Interventions, Provider Education

Educational interventions directed at healthcare providers are designed to increase their knowledge as well as change attitudes and practices in addressing overweight and obesity among clients.

Summary of Task Force Recommendations & Findings

The Community Preventive Services Task Force finds insufficient evidence to determine the effectiveness of provider education alone to prevent and control obesity among child, adolescent, or adult clients because too few studies of suitable quality were available.

Results from the Systematic Reviews

Interventions for providers with adult patients:

  • The three studies that qualified for the review assessed various outcomes and did not provide adequate information to draw conclusions.

Interventions for providers with child and adolescent patients:

  • The one study that qualified for review found minimal effects on patients’ body mass index (BMI).

Economic efficiency is not reviewed for interventions for which there is insufficient evidence to determine effectiveness.

These results were based on a systematic review of all available studies, conducted on behalf of the Task Force by a team of specialists in systematic review methods, and in research, practice and policy related to obesity prevention and control.

Publications

The findings and results of this systematic review have not been published. Read other Community Guide publications about Obesity Prevention and Control in our library. You may also subscribe to be notified as new materials on this topic become available.



Disclaimer

The findings and conclusions on this page are those of the Community Preventive Services Task Force and do not necessarily represent those of CDC.

Sample Citation

The content of publications of the Guide to Community Preventive Services is in the public domain. Citation as to source, however, is appreciated. Sample citation: Guide to Community Preventive Services. Obesity prevention and control: provider-oriented interventions, provider education. www.thecommunityguide.org/obesity/ProviderEducation. Last updated: MM/DD/YYYY.

Review completed: October 2007