Assessing the effectiveness of healthy weight interventions in the early years of childhood: a systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence from high-income countries
Pooled result · zBMIResult — go to the resultSMD −0.085 95% CI −0.140 to −0.029Authors' conclusion
Universal multicomponent healthy weight interventions for preschool children in high-income countries were associated with modest but meaningful improvements in zBMI, waist circumference, percentage body fat, and fat-free mass index. These findings suggest that early childhood interventions can be effective if delivered at scale and may serve as a key element in broader childhood obesity prevention strategies.
Study context
- Population
- Preschool children aged 5 years and under, high-income countries; studies published from 2011 with pre-post anthropometric assessments
- Participants
- 26,977 children40 studies
- Comparison
- Universal healthy weight interventions vs controls
- Outcome
- Anthropometric outcomes
Methodological detailsthree-level random-effects meta-analyses, narrative synthesis, Nine academic databases searched
- Three-level random-effects meta-analyses
- Narrative synthesis
- Nine academic databases searched
Pooled result
zBMI
SMD
−0.085
95% CI −0.140 to −0.029
Interventionsvs Controls
SMD −0.085 (95% CI −0.140 to −0.029)
As reported in the abstract
Further pooled results
| Outcome | SMD (95% CI) | |
|---|---|---|
| Waist circumference | −0.186 (−0.361 to −0.011) | |
| Percentage body fat | −0.159 (−0.290 to −0.028) | |
| Fat-free mass index | 0.170 (0.012–0.328) | |
| −0.4−0.200.20.4Difference (linear scale) |
BMI percentile
- No significant differences for BMI percentile
Narrative synthesis
- Limited evidence of effectiveness
Original publication
Assessing the effectiveness of healthy weight interventions in the early years of childhood: a systematic review and meta-analysis of evidence from high-income countries. Int J Obes (Lond). Published 9 April 2026. doi:10.
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