Weight-loss interventions with Hispanic populations

Objective: To conduct a review of published studies that have addressed the effectiveness of weight-loss interventions for Hispanic individuals in the United States, identify key components of effective interventions for this population, and provide a set of recommendations for the development of effective treatment programs. Data Source: Online bibliographic databases were searched from 1980 to September 2006. Study Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria: Two key search dimensions ("Latino" or "Mexican-American" or "Hispanic" or "Spanish-speaker"; and "weight-loss" or "weight-reduction" or "obesity treatment" or "diet intervention") were used to search for articles. Data Extraction: The methods and findings of all retrieved articles were evaluated, and summary outcome data were taken from published results. Data Synthesis: The limited number of published articles found, and the lack of identifying information on key variables (eg, manner in which subjects were determined to be "Hispanic," level of acculturation, socioeconomic status [SES], number of years living in the United States, country of origin, etc) precluded conducting a formal meta-analysis on the available outcome data. Results: The review identified only three controlled intervention studies specifically targeting Hispanic populations for weight-loss; most of the available studies were not randomized and did not assess key variables, such as acculturation, type of community of origin, level of education, etc. Most available "culturally sensitive" health-related interventions targeting Hispanic populations do not specify what made the interventions "culturally sensitive" beyond the translation of the materials into Spanish. Conclusions: Traditional weight-loss interventions developed for use on Anglo-American subjects do not appear to have been effective for Hispanic individuals. There is an urgent need to both develop effective interventions and to improve the methodologic thoroughness in the design, implementation, and reporting of such interventions for this population.