Systematic review of randomised controlled trials to improve dietary intake for the prevention of obesity in infants aged 0-24 months

Improving dietary intake early in life is a common behavioural target in obesity prevention trials. We undertook a systematic review of randomised controlled trials aiming to improve dietary intake of complementary foods during infancy (0-24 months). PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Medline, and PsycInfo were searched for trials focussed on obesity prevention conducted between January 2000 and August 2019 where dietary intake was an outcome. Two reviewers screened studies and extracted data from selected articles. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Collaboration Risk of Bias 2 tools. The protocol was registered on Open Science Framework (). Seventeen articles from 12 trials were selected for data extraction. Statistically significant group differences in outcomes were observed in 36 of 165 (21.8%) of dietary variables examined. Measurement and analysis of outcomes varied between studies. Overall risk of bias was rated as high, primarily due to missing outcome data. Improving dietary intake at this age appears challenging based on a relatively limited number of studies. Future research could consider dietary pattern analyses, which may provide more meaningful outcomes for this age group. Opportunities exist for further exploration of maternal-focussed interventions, responsive feeding interventions, and interventions delivered outside of homes.

Automated summary

This systematic review focused on improving dietary intake of complementary foods during infancy in obesity prevention trials. Out of 12 trials, 17 articles were selected and 21.8% of dietary variables showed statistically significant group differences. The overall risk of bias was rated as high due to variations in measurement and analysis methods. Future research could explore dietary pattern analyses for more meaningful outcomes in this age group.