Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Studies with a comparison group, including before-and-after studies where the participant was their own comparison. Nine were reports of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and 2 were before-and-after studies.
Specific interventions included in the review
Weight loss interventions, including educational orbehavioural strategies and very low calorie diets (VLCDs), but excluding surgical and pharmacotherapeutic strategies. Duration of interventions ranged from 1 study with a mean of 23 days, to 12 months. Three studies were of VLCDs (1,250 to 3,300 kJ/day of high quality protein and carbohydrates fortified with vitamins, minerals and trace elements) and 8 studies (one paper reported 2 studies) were of behavioural or educational interventions such as diet with or without exercise, behaviour modification, cognitive modification, cognitive-behaviour modification, nutritional modification, diet counselling and group behaviour modification. Duration of follow-up in the trials ranged from 3 to 19 months.
Participants included in the review
People with NIDDM who were also obese were included.
Outcomes assessed in the review
Weight and glycemic control were assessed.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors do not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many of the authors performed the selection.