Can better training improve obesity management among healthcare professionals?

The pooled effect on professional competencies was SMD=0.41. Randomized trials showed a larger significant effect (SMD=0.53), while non-randomized studies did not reach statistical significance. Programs lasting at least four hours also showed stronger effects (SMD=0.68), whereas shorter interventions did not show the same pattern.

The findings support the idea that structured, reasonably comprehensive training can improve healthcare professionals' competence and confidence in obesity management. However, the evidence does not show that every training program will necessarily lead to greater patient weight loss; direct patient-outcome evidence was more limited.

Between-study heterogeneity was substantial (I²=60%), and only a subset of studies contributed to the meta-analysis. Programs varied in content, duration, target profession, and outcome measurement, so the review cannot identify one universally optimal training format for all clinical settings.

This Clinical Obesity review and meta-analysis used multiple literature databases and separated randomized from non-randomized evidence while examining training duration. Its main limitation is the relatively small number of studies that could be pooled and the substantial heterogeneity between them.