A systematic review and meta‐analysis of the child‐level effects of family‐based interventions for the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus

The 4723 studies were identified, and 55 studies met the inclusion criteria. Results showed significant effects on children's body mass index (mean difference MD, -0.18, 95% CI -0.33 to -0.03, p = 0.02), body fat percentage (MD, -2.00, 95% CI -3.31 to -0.69, p = 0.003), daily activity (standardized mean difference SMD, 0.23, 95% CI 0.01; 0.44, p = 0.04), physical activity self-efficacy (SMD, 0.73, 95% CI 0.36 to 1.10, p < 0.01), intake of snacks (MD, -0.10, 95% CI -0.17 to -0.04, p = 0.002), and sugar-sweetened beverages (SMD, -0.21, 95% CI -0.42 to -0.01, p = 0.04). Subgroup analyses suggested that interventions aiming to change child and parent behavior simultaneously have larger effect on fasting glucose and nutrition consumption, and that interventions longer than 26 weeks have larger effects on body composition and physical activity behavior than shorter interventions.