Review of psycho-behavioral interventions to reduce obesity among US minority adults

Objective: Efficacious psycho-behavioral interventions to curb the epidemic of obesity among US minority adults who are at greater risk for obesity are critically in need. To date, however, no study was conducted to review such interventions. This study reviewed the scientific evidence for such interventions among US minority adults. Research Methods and Procedures: Inclusion criteria were intervention studies published in English in peer-reviewed journals between January 1980 and July 2006 whose sample included minority adults. Studies that did not employ minority adults or provided no information on race/ethnicity of participants were not included. Results: The review of 276 potentially relevant studies resulted in identification of 24 studies that met inclusion criteria, representing 23 programs and involving 15,121 adults. Of these, 4 out of 8 three-intervention component studies showed a moderate effect size (d = 0.50) whereas none of 5 one-intervention component studies and 11 two-intervention component studies did so. Lifestyle interventions (d = 0.36) and those that used both individualized and group interventions (d = 0.38), respectively, were more effective than non-lifestyle interventions such as monotonous exercise programs (d = 0.15) and those that used group interventions only (d = 0.20). Interestingly, one study, conducted by interventionists of the same race/ethnicity as the participants yielded the greatest long-term (1-year) weight loss. Discussion: The study results indicate that future obesity prevention interventions targeting minority adults need to incorporate individualized sessions and the interventionists of the same race/ethnicity into multi-component programs that focus on lifestyle changes.