From February 3 to
6, the World Health Organization (WHO) held an expert meeting on the
"Global Clinical Practice Guidelines for Integrated Management of
Childhood Obesity" and the "Global Clinical Practice Guidelines for
Integrated Management of Adolescent Obesity." The meeting focused on
behavioral and multimodal interventions for clinical issues related to obesity.
Associate Professor Li Sheyu and Dr. Xie Xinran from the Department of
Endocrinology and Metabolism of West China Hospital, Sichuan University, were
invited to participate in four online discussions on the two obesity
guidelines. During the meeting, Associate Professor Li delivered a presentation
on the systematic review titled "Cognitive Behavioral Interventions for Children
and Adolescents with Overweight and Obesity", which was an unpublished
outcome of his research group. This presentation served as the main evidence
for the behavioral treatment recommendations in both WHO guidelines.
Professor Luz Maria
De Regil, Director of WHO's Nutrition and Food Safety Department, attended the
meeting and delivered the opening remarks.
Both guidelines
utilized rigorous evidence-based medicine methods, such as the GRADE (Grading
of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach and the EtD
(Evidence to Decision) framework, to evaluate global best evidence for core
interventions in childhood and adolescent obesity. Over the course of six
months, Associate Professor Li's team conducted a comprehensive evidence
synthesis study on cognitive behavioral interventions for childhood and
adolescent obesity. The study developed a classification of the components of
cognitive behavioral interventions for obesity in this age group and used the
latest network meta-analysis methodology to assess the effectiveness of
different intervention components. During the guideline meetings, Associate
Professor Li presented the findings in a 20-minute report and Q&A session,
which sparked lively discussions. The results ultimately served as a key
evidence base for the expert recommendations on behavioral interventions for
obesity in children and adolescents.
This study was
officially funded by the WHO. The presentation received high recognition from
the attending experts. In the future, Associate Professor Li’s team will
continue to contribute to the development and dissemination of WHO clinical
practice guidelines on obesity and diabetes, offering more Chinese solutions to
the world.
