Acupuncture vs sham acupuncture for simple obesity: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND: Obesity is a growing chronic health problem worldwide. Studies about acupuncture for obesity treatment are many. But there are some doubts about the effectiveness of acupuncture vs sham acupuncture in treating obesity due to its lack of an evidence-based medical proof. Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of acupuncture for obesity treatment and provide clinic evidence. METHODS: This protocol was based on the previous reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis agreements. Four English databases (PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) and 4 Chinese databases (China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese BioMedical Database, Chinese Scientific Journal Database, Wan-Fang Data) will be searched from their receptions to August 2019. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) using acupuncture compared sham acupuncture (or no treatment) to treat simple obesity will be included. The primary outcome of body mass index (BMI) and body weight (BW) will be used to measure the effect of acupuncture on obesity. According to the trial data extraction form based on the Cochrane Handbook, 2 reviewers will separately extract the data. Risk of bias of the RCTs will be assessed by the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool. Publication bias will be assessed with funnel plots. RESULTS: This study will be to evaluate whether acupuncture is an effective intervention for simple obesity when compared with sham acupuncture. CONCLUSION: The conclusion of this study will help clinicians provide effective treatment options for obese patients. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval is not required for systematic review and meta- analysis. The results of this review will be disseminated in a peer-review journal. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: PROSPERO CRD42019129825.