title: Social networking strategies that aim to reduce obesity have achieved significant although modest results.
abstract: The global epidemic of obesity continues to escalate. Obesity accounts for an increasing proportion of the international socioeconomic burden of noncommunicable disease. Online social networking services provide an effective medium through which information may be exchanged between obese and overweight patients and their health care providers, potentially contributing to superior weight-loss outcomes. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the role of these services in modifying body mass index (BMI). Our analysis of twelve studies found that interventions using social networking services produced a modest but significant 0.64 percent reduction in BMI from baseline for the 941 people who participated in the studies' interventions. We recommend that social networking services that target obesity should be the subject of further clinical trials. Additionally, we recommend that policy makers adopt reforms that promote the use of anti-obesity social networking services, facilitate multistakeholder partnerships in such services, and create a supportive environment to confront obesity and its associated noncommunicable diseases.
authors.affiliation: Hutan Ashrafian (h.ashrafian@imperial.ac.uk) is a clinical lecturer in the Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London, in the United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Hutan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ashrafian
authors.affiliation: Tania Toma is an honorary research fellow in the Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London.
authors.forename: Tania
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Toma
authors.affiliation: Leanne Harling is a clinical research fellow in the Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London.
authors.forename: Leanne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Harling
authors.affiliation: Karen Kerr was secretary for the Qatar National Cancer Research Strategy Committee and is secretary for the Qatar Cancer Research Partnership, at Imperial College London.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kerr
authors.affiliation: Thanos Athanasiou is a professor in the Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College London.
authors.forename: Thanos
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Athanasiou
authors.affiliation: Ara Darzi is executive chair of the World Innovation Summit for Health, Qatar Foundation, and director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation, Imperial College London.
authors.forename: Ara
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Darzi
mesh_terms: D014943:Global Health; D006291:Health Policy; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control*; D060756:Social Networking
keywords: Evidence-Based Medicine; Health Reform; Information Technology; International/global health studies; Media