Weight management: lifestyle services for overweight or obese children and young people

Gaps in the evidence

The Programme Development Group (PDG) identified a number of gaps in the evidence related to the programmes under examination, based on an assessment of the evidence and expert comment. These gaps are set out below.

1. There is a lack of data on how to involve male children and young men in lifestyle weight management programmes.

(Source: evidence review 1)

2. There is a lack of data on effective lifestyle weight management programmes for children and young people with disabilities, learning difficulties or other special needs.

(Source: evidence reviews 1 and 2)

3. There is a lack of data on effective and cost-effective approaches to weight management for children younger than 6 years, including the views of their parents and families. In addition, there is a lack of data on the barriers to, and facilitators for, encouraging these children to complete a lifestyle weight management programme.

(Source: evidence reviews 1 and 2)

4. There is a lack of data on how the barriers to, and facilitators for, participating in a lifestyle weight management programme vary according to socioeconomic group, ethnicity, gender and age.

(Source: evidence review 2)

5. There is a lack of standardised reporting for the behavioural therapy and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) components used by programme developers. This makes it difficult to evaluate these components of a lifestyle weight management programme.

(Source: expert paper 6)

6. There is a lack of evidence on the lifetime effects of weight management programmes. (Such data are crucial for assessing cost effectiveness.)

(Source: Economic modelling report)

The Committee made 4 recommendations for research into areas that it believes will be a priority for developing future guidance. These are listed in Recommendations for research.